Technical note: An in vitro study of dental microwear formation using the BITE Master II chewing machine

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Li-Cheng HuaPeter S Ungar

Abstract

Dental microwear has been used for decades to reconstruct the diets of fossil hominins and bioarchaeological populations. The basic theory has been that hard-brittle foods (e.g., nuts, bone) require crushing and leave pits as they are pressed between opposing cheek-tooth surfaces, whereas soft-tough foods (e.g., grass blades, meat) require shearing and leave scratches as they are dragged along opposing surfaces that slide past one another. However, recent studies have called into question the efficacy of microwear as an indicator of diet. One issue has been the limited number of in vitro studies providing empirical evidence for associations between microwear pattern and chewing behavior. We here describe a new study using a chewing simulator, the BITE Master II, to examine the effects of angle of approach between opposing teeth and food consistency on microwear surface texture. Results indicate that opposing teeth that approach one another: 1) perpendicular to the occlusal plane (crushing) result in pits; 2) parallel to the occlusal plane (shearing) result in striations in the direction of movement; and 3) oblique to the occlusal plane (45°) result in both striations and pits. Results further suggest that different food types a...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 26, 2016·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Lucas K DelezenePeter S Ungar
Jul 5, 2016·Archives of Oral Biology·David J DaeglingPeter S Ungar
Jul 15, 2016·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Aleksis KarmeMikael Fortelius
Apr 28, 2016·PloS One·Sireen El ZaatariJean-Jacques Hublin
Feb 6, 2018·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Peter S Ungar, Lee R Berger
Oct 27, 2017·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Jing XiaPeter S Ungar
Feb 19, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Ivan CalandraGildas Merceron
Mar 20, 2019·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Christopher W SchmidtNicholas Herrmann
Apr 12, 2019·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Peter S UngarAlyssa N Crittenden
Jan 11, 2020·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Mark F TeafordChristopher J Vinyard
Sep 14, 2020·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Maria Ana CorreiaMarta Mirazón Lahr
Jan 19, 2020·Scientific Reports·Adam van CasterenPeter W Lucas
Aug 23, 2016·Ecology and Evolution·Anusha RamdarshanGildas Merceron
Feb 2, 2021·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Emma M Lagan, Daniel E Ehrlich
Jul 21, 2021·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Nicole L AckermansMarcus Clauss
Jul 9, 2018·ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering·Licheng HuaZ Ryan Tian
Aug 19, 2021·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Kristin L KruegerRalph DeLong
Dec 16, 2021·PloS One·Christopher Martin SilvesterSimon Hillson

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