Young W G
Department of Oral Biology & Pathology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
J Dent Res. 1998 Nov;77(11):1860-3. doi: 10.1177/00220345980770110101.
The purpose of this essay is to emphasize that anthropology, the study of man in his environments, is a potent tool for scientific discovery and inspiration in dental science. It attempts to capture flashes of creative anthropological insight which have illuminated studies of tooth wear and occlusion in the past. While it documents contributions, understandings, and misunderstandings from Australian and New Zealand dentists, it is not a hagiography. The real saint of this essay is the Australian aborigine. For when men and women are understood in their environments, much is learned from them which challenges preconceptions of our dental science culture. The essay concludes that new, contemporary Australian culture needs to be studied by anthropological approaches if we are to understand how dental erosion is exacerbating tooth wear and damaging the occlusions of contemporary Australians. Much remains to be discovered about contemporary lifestyles, habits, and diets that lead to dental erosion, the principal cause of contemporary tooth wear in this part of the world.
本文的目的是强调人类学，即对人类与其环境关系的研究，是牙科学领域科学发现和灵感的有力工具。它试图捕捉过去曾照亮牙齿磨损和咬合研究的创造性人类学见解的闪光点。虽然它记录了澳大利亚和新西兰牙医的贡献、理解和误解，但它并非一部圣徒传记。本文真正的主角是澳大利亚原住民。因为当我们在其所处环境中去理解这些男女时，能从他们身上学到很多东西，这些东西挑战了我们牙科学文化的先入之见。本文得出结论，如果我们想了解牙齿侵蚀如何加剧当代澳大利亚人的牙齿磨损并损害其咬合，就需要通过人类学方法研究当代澳大利亚新文化。关于导致牙齿侵蚀（这是世界上该地区当代牙齿磨损的主要原因）的当代生活方式、习惯和饮食，仍有许多有待发现。
