Dental Wear In Evolutionary And Biocultural Contexts

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Book excerpt: Teeth wear down as they are used for a number of functions in life including mastication and non-masticatory activities, such as using them as tools to hold objects in the mouth. Dental wear has been studied for decades at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. However, to date, no volume has been produced that is devoted specifically to dental wear. Dental Wear in Evolutionary and Biocultural Contexts provides a single source that disseminates current state-of-the-art research regarding dental wear across a variety of hominoid species, and under a number of temporal and spatial contexts. The volume begins with a brief introductory chapter addressing the general history, understandings, and approaches to the study of dental wear. The remaining chapters in the first half of the volume are dedicated to dental macrowear, and the chapters in second half are dedicated to dental microwear. The primary audience for this volume are students and professionals in anthropology, specifically paleoanthropologists, bioarchaeologists, archaeologists, and primatologists. It may also be attractive to dentists and other dental professionals interested in dental function. Covers a wide range of topics including method and theory, macrowear and microwear in primates and fossil hominins Highlights several recent technological innovations, including occlusal fingerprinting, considerations of enamel mechanical properties, and microwear texture Includes case studies from archaeological populations