ASUDAS

The ASUDAS was designed to ensure a standardized scoring procedure with minimum error in order to warrant comparability between data collected by different observers.

For example, shoveling and double-shoveling of upper first incisors and the presence of hypoconulids of lower second molars have been found to be linked to the ectodysplasin A receptor gene (EDAR).

[8][9] EDAR is a functional genomic region and has a range of pleiotropic effects on ectodermally derived structures, such as hair, mammary glands, and teeth, and is most likely under positive selection in Asian populations.

For example, ASUDAS data are typically used for identifying unknown individuals in forensic cases,[12] for examining past migration and mobility in bioarchaeological contexts,[13] and for reconstructing hominin phylogenies in paleoanthropological studies.

[15] A study conducted in 2023 found that ASUDAS variants are among the most informative morphological markers in the human skeleton for inferring underlying neutral genetic relatedness among populations, significantly outperforming other commonly employed data types, such as cranial non-metric and dental metric variables, for instance.