Maxillary lateral incisor agenesis

Maxillary lateral incisor agenesis (MLIA) is a medical term referring to the absence (agenesis) of a certain tooth: the upper (maxillary, meaning upper jaw), outer (lateral, as opposed to central) incisor. In normal human dentition, this would be the second tooth on either side from the center of your top row of teeth. The condition is bilateral if the incisor is absent on both sides. It appears to have a genetic component.

Use in anthropology

Because MLIA can be detected from partial skeletal remains, it is useful in the field of anthropology. Anthropologically-interesting human remains often have relatively well preserved skeletons, but no soft tissues or intact DNA. This makes it hard to determine relationships between the deceased individuals. MLIA is related to inbreeding, however, so the presence of MLIA in many members of a large collection of remains can indicate that the population that lived there was relatively inbred. This technique has been used to study a group of Neolithic farmers.