Department of Anthropology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46227, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2010 May;142(1):67-73. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21197.
Dental microwear analysts have demonstrated that hard diets leave numerous microscopic pits on occlusal surfaces. The relationship between occlusal pitting and gross macrowear, however, is not well known. The current study seeks to elucidate the relationship between dental microwear and macrowear by determining if microscopically pitted teeth are associated with greater expressions of macrowear. This study examined microwear and macrowear on mandibular second molars from 60 prehistoric adult Native Americans representing three dietary regimes (foraging, mixed economy, and agriculture). Initially, two dental microwear feature variables were studied: percentage of pits and mean scratch width. Standard macrowear scores ranged from 4 to 40. ANOVAs suggested that neither of the microwear variables was affected by age or sex, but age affected macrowear scores. Because of this, the sample had a balanced number of young and old adults (i.e., those below and above skeletal age 35). A Pearson's correlation showed no covariation between scratch width and the percentage of pits. Regression analysis indicated that macrowear was not a function of the percentage of pits. However, a significant positive relationship was found between dental macrowear and scratch width. A post priori test found a significant negative relationship between macrowear and the total number of scratches. It is concluded, then, that wide scratches remove more enamel and dentin than do numerous pits, although both cause dental wear. It is suggested here that the term "abrasive" be used to describe those microwear profiles that lead to heavy macrowear and have relatively wide scratches.
牙微磨损分析表明，硬质饮食会在咬合面上留下许多微小的凹痕。然而，咬合面凹痕与宏观磨损之间的关系并不为人所知。本研究旨在通过确定微观上有凹痕的牙齿是否与宏观磨损的表达程度更高来阐明牙微磨损与宏观磨损之间的关系。本研究检查了来自 60 名具有三种饮食方式（觅食、混合经济和农业）的史前成年美洲原住民的下颌第二磨牙的微磨损和宏观磨损。最初，研究了两个牙微磨损特征变量：凹痕百分比和平均划痕宽度。标准宏观磨损评分范围从 4 到 40。方差分析表明，微磨损变量都不受年龄或性别的影响，但年龄会影响宏观磨损评分。由于这个原因，样本中年轻和老年成年人的数量平衡（即骨骼年龄 35 岁以下和以上的成年人）。皮尔逊相关表明划痕宽度与凹痕百分比之间没有协变关系。回归分析表明，宏观磨损不是凹痕百分比的函数。然而，发现牙宏观磨损与划痕宽度之间存在显著的正相关关系。一个先验测试发现宏观磨损与总划痕数之间存在显著的负相关关系。因此，可以得出结论，虽然两者都会导致牙齿磨损，但宽划痕比大量的凹痕去除更多的牙釉质和牙本质。这里建议使用“磨蚀性”一词来描述那些导致严重宏观磨损且划痕相对较宽的微磨损特征。
