Affinities of Dental Characteristics in the Okinawa Islanders*

Abstract

Dental characteristics were investigated using plaster casts of the permanent dentition from 60 inhabitants in the central part of Okinawa Island. Frequency distributions of the dental traits in the Okinawans were very similar to those of the Japanese in the main island, Ainu and Pima Indians, but largely different from those of the Caucasoids. In addition, multivariate statistical analysis suggested that the dental characteristics in the Okinawans had a close affinity to those in the Ainu, but this fact was hardly explained by supposing the common origin of the two populations.In this regard, importance of more extensive comparative studies on the Ryukyu Islanders including the Okinawans was emphasized.