Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Adelaide Dental School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
PLoS One. 2021 Jul 9;16(7):e0254151. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254151. eCollection 2021.
The analysis of dental wear, at both the microscopic and macroscopic scale, is one of the most widely used tools in archeology and anthropology to reconstruct the diet and lifestyle of past human populations. Biomechanical studies have indicated that tooth wear helps to dissipate the mechanical load over the crown surface, thus reducing the risk of tooth fracture. To date, there are only a few studies that have examined functional tooth wear variation in modern humans. Here we propose to study masticatory efficiency through the use of the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method, a well-developed digital approach that allows the reconstruction of the occlusal dynamics occurring during mastication. The aim of this study is to provide the first longitudinal quantitative data of molar and premolar macrowear patterns within a functional context. We examined the mixed and permanent dentition of one Australian Aboriginal child (from ages 8 to 17) from Yuendumu, using high-resolution surface scans of dental casts including both upper and lower arches. Our results suggest that the occlusal macrowear patterns of this individual did not significantly change through time. Occlusal contact parameters such as functional area, inclination and direction remain relatively unaltered throughout childhood and adolescence, indicating little change in the masticatory function of this individual. The functional tooth wear pattern in this individual did not change longitudinally indicating the degree of masticatory efficiency has most probably remained unaltered.
对牙齿磨损的分析，无论是在微观还是宏观尺度上，都是考古学和人类学中最广泛使用的工具之一，用于重建过去人类群体的饮食和生活方式。生物力学研究表明，牙齿磨损有助于在牙冠表面分散机械负荷，从而降低牙齿断裂的风险。迄今为止，只有少数研究检查了现代人功能性牙齿磨损的变化。在这里，我们提议通过使用咬合指纹分析方法来研究咀嚼效率，这是一种经过充分开发的数字方法，可以重建咀嚼过程中的咬合动态。本研究的目的是提供在功能背景下对磨牙和前磨牙宏观磨损模式的第一个纵向定量数据。我们检查了来自 Yuendumu 的一名澳大利亚原住民儿童（8 至 17 岁）的混合和永久性牙列，使用了包括上下牙弓在内的牙齿模型的高分辨率表面扫描。我们的结果表明，这个人的咬合宏观磨损模式并没有随着时间的推移而显著变化。咬合接触参数，如功能区、倾斜度和方向，在整个儿童期和青春期都相对不变，表明这个人的咀嚼功能变化不大。这个人的功能性牙齿磨损模式没有纵向变化，表明咀嚼效率的程度可能没有改变。
