The Skull, Face and Dentition

The skull has undergone considerable changes since the time of Australopithecus. The skull of our physical ancestors was small because of the relative small size of the brain. The cranium, which is that part of the skull which includes the forehead and the crown of the head was indeed very small in our physical ancestors. The face was relatively very large with the presence of huge teeth. So we had an animal with a small forehead, a huge face and protruding jaw. With further evolution the size of the teeth gradually decreased, the face became gradually more flattened, and the jaw receded.

The great increase in the size of the brain over time saw an increase in the size of the cranium to accommodate it and consequently the face in relation to the cranium had to decrease in size. With the decrease in the size of the teeth, the face which was initially protruding changed position and moved backwards. The upper teeth which initially exceeded the lower ones later only grew to the level of the latter. Therefore the man of today is characterised by a well developed cranium which has grown in response to the enormous expansion of brain capacity; a relatively small face made possible by the decrease in the size of the teeth which made the jaw recede. The expansion of the cranium also helped in bringing the growth of the face under control. The dentition also became modified, especially as regards the growth of the upper teeth which now do not outgrow the lower, and the complete modification of the canines which are now smaller.

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