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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans

Published on: July 12, 2022

Adapting Clinical Tooth Wear Assessment Methods for Biological Anthropology Contexts.

Ian Towle¹, Luca Fiorenza¹

¹Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

|June 24, 2025

Summary

Digital analysis of tooth wear in Australian Aboriginal molars reveals adaptive mastication patterns. This method quantifies occlusal tissue loss, offering insights into diet and evolution.

Keywords:

WearCompare craniofacial growth dental attrition dental tissue loss digital anthropology

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Area of Science:

Biological anthropology
Paleoanthropology
Dental research

Background:

Tooth wear is increasingly understood as an adaptive process crucial for mastication and oral health.
Investigating tooth wear provides insights into diet, behavior, and evolutionary adaptations.

Purpose of the Study:

To apply clinical wear-assessment methods for quantifying occlusal tissue loss in Australian Aboriginal first molars.
To evaluate the utility of digital tools for assessing wear patterns in a biological anthropology context.

Main Methods:

High-resolution surface scans of dental casts were analyzed using WearCompare software.
Quantified occlusal tissue loss and wear patterns during dental development.

Main Results:

Clinical wear-assessment methods effectively capture physiological wear in populations with high tissue loss rates.
Average annual tissue loss was 4 mm³ (0.05 mm³/mm²), with significant individual and temporal variations observed.
Wear patterns reflected changes in occlusion, masticatory forces, craniofacial growth, and diet.

Conclusions:

Digital quantification of dental tissue loss is highly valuable for anthropological research.
These methods can be applied to contemporary human and non-human primate samples.
The techniques can refine macroscopic wear scoring systems in paleoanthropology and complement other wear analysis methods.