Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.

The analysis of dental wear, at both the microscopic and macroscopic scale, is one of the most widely used tools in archeology and anthropology to reconstruct the diet and lifestyle of past human populations. Biomechanical studies have indicated that tooth wear helps to dissipate the mechanical load...

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Main Authors: Jinyoung Lee, Sarah Fung, Robin Yong, Sarbin Ranjitkar, John Kaidonis, Alistair R Evans, Luca Fiorenza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0254151&type=printable
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author Jinyoung Lee
Sarah Fung
Robin Yong
Sarbin Ranjitkar
John Kaidonis
Alistair R Evans
Luca Fiorenza
author_facet Jinyoung Lee
Sarah Fung
Robin Yong
Sarbin Ranjitkar
John Kaidonis
Alistair R Evans
Luca Fiorenza
author_sort Jinyoung Lee
collection DOAJ
description The analysis of dental wear, at both the microscopic and macroscopic scale, is one of the most widely used tools in archeology and anthropology to reconstruct the diet and lifestyle of past human populations. Biomechanical studies have indicated that tooth wear helps to dissipate the mechanical load over the crown surface, thus reducing the risk of tooth fracture. To date, there are only a few studies that have examined functional tooth wear variation in modern humans. Here we propose to study masticatory efficiency through the use of the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method, a well-developed digital approach that allows the reconstruction of the occlusal dynamics occurring during mastication. The aim of this study is to provide the first longitudinal quantitative data of molar and premolar macrowear patterns within a functional context. We examined the mixed and permanent dentition of one Australian Aboriginal child (from ages 8 to 17) from Yuendumu, using high-resolution surface scans of dental casts including both upper and lower arches. Our results suggest that the occlusal macrowear patterns of this individual did not significantly change through time. Occlusal contact parameters such as functional area, inclination and direction remain relatively unaltered throughout childhood and adolescence, indicating little change in the masticatory function of this individual. The functional tooth wear pattern in this individual did not change longitudinally indicating the degree of masticatory efficiency has most probably remained unaltered.
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spelling doaj.art-970edfe9a8d643b7821b8abf0f3f7c852025-03-03T05:33:28ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01167e025415110.1371/journal.pone.0254151Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.Jinyoung LeeSarah FungRobin YongSarbin RanjitkarJohn KaidonisAlistair R EvansLuca FiorenzaThe analysis of dental wear, at both the microscopic and macroscopic scale, is one of the most widely used tools in archeology and anthropology to reconstruct the diet and lifestyle of past human populations. Biomechanical studies have indicated that tooth wear helps to dissipate the mechanical load over the crown surface, thus reducing the risk of tooth fracture. To date, there are only a few studies that have examined functional tooth wear variation in modern humans. Here we propose to study masticatory efficiency through the use of the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method, a well-developed digital approach that allows the reconstruction of the occlusal dynamics occurring during mastication. The aim of this study is to provide the first longitudinal quantitative data of molar and premolar macrowear patterns within a functional context. We examined the mixed and permanent dentition of one Australian Aboriginal child (from ages 8 to 17) from Yuendumu, using high-resolution surface scans of dental casts including both upper and lower arches. Our results suggest that the occlusal macrowear patterns of this individual did not significantly change through time. Occlusal contact parameters such as functional area, inclination and direction remain relatively unaltered throughout childhood and adolescence, indicating little change in the masticatory function of this individual. The functional tooth wear pattern in this individual did not change longitudinally indicating the degree of masticatory efficiency has most probably remained unaltered.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0254151&type=printable
spellingShingle Jinyoung Lee
Sarah Fung
Robin Yong
Sarbin Ranjitkar
John Kaidonis
Alistair R Evans
Luca Fiorenza
Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
PLoS ONE
title Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
title_full Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
title_fullStr Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
title_full_unstemmed Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
title_short Tooth wear development in the Australian Aboriginal dentition from Yuendumu: A longitudinal study.
title_sort tooth wear development in the australian aboriginal dentition from yuendumu a longitudinal study
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0254151&type=printable
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