Dental microwear analysis is a method to infer diet and behavior in extinct animals, especially in fossil specimens.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] Typically, the patterns of pits and scratches on the occlusal or buccal surface of the enamel are compared with patterns observed in extant species to infer ecological information.[ 5] [ 6] Hard foods in particular can lead to distinctive patterns (although see below). Microwear can also be used for inferring behavior, especially those related to the non-masticatory use of teeth as 'tools'. Other uses include investigating weaning in past populations.[ 7] Methods used to collect data initially involved a microscope and manually collecting information on individual microwear features, but software to automatically collect data have improved markedly in recent years.[ 8]
^ Hernando, Raquel; Fernández-Marchena, Juan Luis; Willman, John C.; Ollé, Andreu; Vergès, Josep Maria; Lozano, Marina (2020-12-20). "Exploring the utility of optical microscopy versus scanning electron microscopy for the quantification of dental microwear" . Quaternary International . 569–570: 5–14. doi :10.1016/j.quaint.2020.05.022 . ISSN 1040-6182 . S2CID 219761015 .
^ Louys, Julien; Zaim, Yahdi; Rizal, Yan; Aswan; Puspaningrum, Mika; Trihascaryo, Agus; Price, Gilbert J.; Petherick, Ansley; Scholtz, Elinor; Desantis, Larisa R.G. (2020-09-08). "Sumatran orangutan diets in the Late Pleistocene as inferred from dental microwear texture analysis" . Quaternary International . 603 : 74–81. doi :10.1016/j.quaint.2020.08.040 . hdl :10072/399186 . ISSN 1040-6182 .
^ Pappa, Spyridoula; Schreve, Danielle C.; Rivals, Florent (15 January 2019). "The bear necessities: A new dental microwear database for the interpretation of palaeodiet in fossil Ursidae" . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 514 : 168–188. doi :10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.10.015 . ISSN 0031-0182 . S2CID 134140217 .
^ Scott, Robert S.; Ungar, Peter S.; Bergstrom, Torbjorn S.; Brown, Christopher A.; Grine, Frederick E.; Teaford, Mark F.; Walker, Alan (August 2005). "Dental microwear texture analysis shows within-species diet variability in fossil hominins" . Nature . 436 (7051): 693–695. doi :10.1038/nature03822 . ISSN 1476-4687 . PMID 16079844 . S2CID 4431062 .
^ Winkler, Daniela E.; Schulz-Kornas, Ellen; Kaiser, Thomas M.; Tütken, Thomas (2019-05-29). "Dental microwear texture reflects dietary tendencies in extant Lepidosauria despite their limited use of oral food processing" . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 286 (1903): 20190544. doi :10.1098/rspb.2019.0544 . PMC 6545078 . PMID 31113323 .
^ Rivals, Florent; Julien, Marie-Anne; Kuitems, Margot; Van Kolfschoten, Thijs; Serangeli, Jordi; Drucker, Dorothée G.; Bocherens, Hervé; Conard, Nicholas J. (December 2015). "Investigation of equid paleodiet from Schöningen 13 II-4 through dental wear and isotopic analyses: Archaeological implications" . Journal of Human Evolution . 89 : 129–137. doi :10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.002 . PMID 25242064 . Retrieved 24 March 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
^ Scott, Rachel M.; Halcrow, Siân E. (2017-02-01). "Investigating weaning using dental microwear analysis: A review" . Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports . 11 : 1–11. doi :10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.11.026 . ISSN 2352-409X .
^ Strani, Flavia; Profico, Antonio; Manzi, Giorgio; Pushkina, Diana; Raia, Pasquale; Sardella, Raffaele; DeMiguel, Daniel (2018). "MicroWeaR: A new R package for dental microwear analysis" . Ecology and Evolution . 8 (14): 7022–7030. doi :10.1002/ece3.4222 . ISSN 2045-7758 . PMC 6065344 . PMID 30073064 .