Key Points
-
Discusses the information that can be extracted from teeth.
-
Teeth provide kymographic records of lives lived from womb to tomb. Interpretation of this odontological information provides much to chew on.
-
Discusses the definition of teeth.
Abstract
The role of teeth as lifestyle indicators of the past and present, and as key elements of evolutionary and forensic studies is explored. The wisdom of entrenched information in the structure of enamel, dentine and the DNA of dental pulp cells is being extracted by new technologies.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
Berger L, Hawks J . Almost Human. National Geographical Society: Washington DC, 2017.
Westaway, K E, Louys J, Due Awe R et al. An early modern human presence in Sumatra 73,000-63,000 years ago. Nature 2017; 548: 322–325.
Hublin J-J, Ben-Ncer A, Bailey S E et al. New fossils from JebelIrhoud, Morocco and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens. Nature 2017; 546: 289–292.
Slon V, Viola B, Renaud G et al. A fourth Denisovan individual. Sci Adv 2017; 3: E1700186.
Leidy J . Notices of remains of extinct reptiles and fishes, discovered by Dr. F V. Hayden in the badlands of the Judith River, Nebraska Territory. Int Proc Nat Acad Sci 1856; 8: 72–73.
Evans D C, Cullen T M, Larson D W, Rego A . A new species of troodontid theropod (Dinosauria: Maniraptora) from the Horshoe Canyon Formation (Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada. Can J Earth Sci 2017; 54: 813–826.
Clement J . Summary of: Estimating age and the likelihood of having attained 18 years age using mandibular third molars. Br Dent J 2010; 209: 406–407.
Cardoso H F V, Caldas I M, Andrade M . Dental and skeletal maturation as simultaneous and separate predictors of chronological age in post-pubertal individuals: a preliminary study in assessing the probability of having attained 16 years of age in the living. Austral J Forensic Sci 2016; 10.1080/00450618.2016.1237548.
Wisdom. Homepage. Available online at www.wisdomtoothbrushes.com (accessed October 2017).
Sperber G H . Forensic odontostomatology. Forensic Med Anat Res 2013; 1: 87–89.
Smith T M, Tafforeau P, Reid D J et al. Earliest evidence of modern human life history in North African early Homo sapiens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104: 6128–6133.
Onions C T . The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. 3rd edition. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959.
Sperber G H . Dental wear: Attrition, Erosion and Abrasion. Dent J 2017; 5: 10.3390/dj5020019.
Gonzalez J L, Pell A, Lopez-Mesas M, Valiente M . Simultaneous determination of BTEX and their matabolites using solid-phase microextraction followed by HPLC or GC/MS: An application in teeth as environmental biomarkers. Sci Total Environ 2017; 603–604: 109–117.
Ungar P S, Grine F E, Teaford M F, Perez-Perez A . A review of interproximal wear grooves on fossil hominin teeth with new evidence from Olduvai Gorge. Arch Oral Biol 2001; 46: 285–292.
Frayer D W, Gatti J, Monge J, Radovcic D . Prehistory dentistry? P4 rotation, partial M3 impaction, toothpick grooves and other signs of manipulation in Krapina Dental Person 20. Bull Int Assoc Paleodont 2017; 11: 1–10.
Milner G R, Larsen C S . Teeth as artefacts of human behaviour: intentional mutilation and accidental modification. In Kelly M A, Larsen CS (Eds) The History of Dental Anthropology. Springer: Heidelberg, 1991.
Weyrich L S, Duchnes S, Soubrier J et al. Neanderthal behaviour, diet and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus. Nature 2017; 544: 357–361.
Sperber GH . Tupilaks, scrimshaw and netsukes. J Canad Dent Assoc 1986; 5: 373–374.
King T E, Gonzalez Fortes G, Balaresque P et al. Identification of the remains of King Richard III. Nat Commun 2014; 5: 5631.
Lazardis I, Mittnik A, Patterson N et al. Genetic origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Nature 2017; 548: 214–218.
De Santis L R G, Patterson B D . Dietary behaviour of man-eating lions as revealed by dental microwear textures. Sci Rep 2017; 7: 904.
Morehouse N . Image of the Day: Teeth. The Scientist 2017. Available at http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/49776/title/Image-of-the-Day--Teeth/ (accessed October 2017).
Meslin C, Cherwin T S, Plakke M S et al. Structural complexity and molecular heterogeneity of a butterfly ejaculate reflect a complex history of selection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114: E5406–E5413.
Van Haren M M, Ronn J L, Schilthuizen M, Arnqvist G . Postmating sexual selection and the enigmatic jawed genitalia of Callosobruchus subinnotatus. Biol Open 2017; 6: 1008–1012.
Ingate Y, Shankar A A, Routray S et al. Ectopic teeth in ovarian teratoma: a rare appearance. Case Rep Dent 2013; 2013: 970464.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Refereed Paper
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sperber, G. Teeth as pearls of wisdom. Br Dent J 223, 787–788 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.987
Accepted:
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.987