Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Aboriginal Dental Mutilation in Pre-Colonial Australia
1Archaeology Honorary Research Officer University of New England, Archeomaterials Science Hub Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia.
Abstract:
Dental modification is a cultural based display of personal adornment and social status with a long history, widely practiced. Among Australian Aboriginal cultures dental modification appears to have been limited to exarticulation. Although it is not known if the practice was introduced to Australian or arose in isolation the archaeological record hints at Australian contexts that predate those elsewhere. Exarticulation, along with many aspects of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, was abandoned after European colonization.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...