Regurgitation erosion as a possible cause of tooth wear in ancient British populations.

Clinically, in modern populations, tooth wear can be differentiated into three main types--attrition, abrasion and erosion, acting either separately or together. Anthropologists generally have not recognized erosion as a factor affecting the teeth of past populations. This study compares the patterns of wear known to be associated with erosion in present-day dental patients with those found in some British, pre-Conquest, skeletons. It is concluded that erosion may have been a major factor causing the extensive tooth wear in some 20 of 151 individuals.