A solution to the worn tooth conundrum in primate functional anatomy.

ABSTRACT: Worn teeth are a bane to paleobiologists interested in the diets of human ancestors and other fossil primates. Although worn teeth dominate fossil assemblages, their shapes are usually not used to reconstruct the diets of extinct species. The problem is that traditional studies of primate dental functional anatomy have focused on unworn morphology. This has limited most functional analyses to only a few well-represented fossil species. This paper introduces a method to characterize and compare worn occlusal morphology in primates using laser scanning and geographic information systems technologies. A study of variably worn chimpanzee and gorilla molars indicates that differences between these species in tooth shape remain consistent at given stages of wear. Although cusp slope decreases wi

SUBMITTER: Ungar PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC153015 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature