Oral health of the prehistoric Rima Rau cave burials, Atiu, Cook Islands

Abstract

is a Lecturer in Forensic Biology. Her research focuses on investigating human variation and adaptability using dental and skeletal tissues as indicators of sex, disease, growth and development. Her main research interests are in dental and skeletal developmental plasticity, enamel defects, physiological stress and forensic anthropology/bioarchaeology.Hallie Buckley is a Professor of Biological Anthropology, who explores patterns of prehistoric health and disease in the Asia-Pacific region as evidence of adaptation to the environment. Professor Buckley's research has focused on skeletal samples from the Island and Mainland Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including protohistoric New Zealand.Chris Stantis is a Postdoctoral Researcher who is a bioarchaeologist specialising in stable isotope analysis of human remains to address questions of migration and diet.Nancy Tayles is a retired Honorary Associate Professor of Biological Anthropology and her primary research focus is on the effects of changes in environment, subsistence, technology and social structure on the biology of prehistoric people, particularly in mainland Southeast Asia and the Pacific.