Preliminary Evidence of Periodontal Disease in Lemmus trimucronatus Skulls from Northern Alaska
CLAYTON L. SHALLA 1
1 College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52240, USA
A random collection of 100 Lemmus trimucronatus skulls obtained on the tundra near Point Barrow, Alaska, were examined for evidence of periodontal disease. Alveolar bone pathosis was observed in 26% of the skulls. The severity or frequency of this disorder in lemming populations may show cyclic fluctuations that can be correlated with the cyclic fluctuations of population density.
Submitted on July 15, 1971
