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The degree of tooth wear (attrition), when seriated within a population,
is a useful indicator of an individual's age at death. Dental attrition
varies with types of food consumed, thus it is important to compare
teeth within the group of interest, and understand their mode of
subsistence. Numerous methods have been developed to determine age
using wear patterns, several are listed below: .
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Categories for Recording the Dentition
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1.
Present, but not in occlusion
2. Present, development completed, in occlusion
3. Missing, w/no associated alveolar bone
4. Missing, w/alveolus resorbing or fully resorbed: premortem loss
5. Missing, w/no alveolar resorption: postmortem loss
6. Missing, congenital absence
7. Present, damage renders measurement impossible, other observations
are recorded
8. Present, but unobservable (e.g. deciduous or permanent tooth
in crypt) |
| Primates
display reduced complexity in the heterodont dentition, a characteristic
most notable in the omnivorous mouths of humans. The four types
of teeth found in the adult dental arcade are displayed to the right
(diagram adapted from White, 1999). The adult human's mouth contains
a total of 32 teeth, with a dental formula of 2:1:2:3 (2 incisors:1
canine:2 premolars:3 molars). Food is taken into the mouth with
the anterior dentition, the incisors and canines, and processed
by the premolars and molars. These posterior teeth grind, pulp,
slice and dice the foods consumed, which increases the surface area
for the digestive enzymes in the mouth to act upon to begin the
digestion process. |
1.
Unworn to polished or small facets (no dentin exposure)
2. Point or hairline of dentin exposure
3. Dentin line of distinct thickness
4. Moderate dentin exposure no longer resembling a line
5. Large dentin area w/enamel ring complete
6. Large dentin area w/enamel ring lost on one side or very thin
enamel only
7. Enamel rim lost on two sides or small remnants of enamel remain
8. Complete loss of crown, no enamel remaining; crown surface takes
on shape of roots . |
1.
Unworn to polished or small facets (no dentin exposure)
2. Moderate cusp removal (blunting)
3. Full cusp removal and/or moderate dentin patches
4. At least one large dentin exposure on one cusp
5. Two large dentin areas (may be slight coalescence)
6. Dentinal areas coalesced, enamel rim still complete
7. Full dentin exposure, loss of rim on at least one side
8. Severe loss of crown height; crown surface takes on shape of
roots |
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