Technical Note

Technical note: Occlusal fingerprint analysis: Quantification of tooth wear pattern

  1. Ottmar Kullmer1,*,
  2. Stefano Benazzi1,
  3. Luca Fiorenza1,
  4. Dieter Schulz2,
  5. Stefan Bacso3,
  6. Olaf Winzen4

Article first published online: 7 MAY 2009

DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21086

Issue

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Volume 139, Issue 4, pages 600–605, August 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kullmer, O., Benazzi, S., Fiorenza, L., Schulz, D., Bacso, S. and Winzen, O. (2009), Technical note: Occlusal fingerprint analysis: Quantification of tooth wear pattern. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 139: 600–605. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21086

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Palaeoanthropology and Messel Research, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

  2. 2

    Dental Workshop Bensheim, Private Laboratory for Training, Research and Methods, Heppenheim, Germany

  3. 3

    Dental Practice, Mannheim, Germany

  4. 4

    Dental Kinetics, Department of Dental Technology, SRH Fachhochschule Hamm GmbH, Hamm, Germany

*Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 7 JUL 2009
  2. Article first published online: 7 MAY 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 12 MAR 2009
  4. Manuscript Received: 25 NOV 2008

Funded by

  • Senckenberg Research Institute Frankfurt am Main
  • German Research Foundation (DFG)
  • DFG Research-Unit FOR 771
  • The EU Marie Curie Training Network MRTN-CT-2005-019564 EVAN

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Keywords:

  • occlusion;
  • occlusal compass;
  • wear facets

Abstract

Information about food ingestion and mastication behavior during the lifespan of an individual is encoded in the dental occlusal wear pattern. To decode this information, we describe a new method called occlusal fingerprint analysis (OFA). Structural parameters of wear facets on the occlusal surface of teeth are quantified from digitized casts for the interpretation of occlusal aspects. The OFA provides an individual three-dimensional dental occlusal compass that indicates the major pathways of interaction between antagonists, revealing information about development, spatial position, and enlargement of wear facets. Humans develop a very similar overall pattern of crown contacts, although specific characteristics of wear facets reflect an individual's occlusal relationships and masticatory behavior. We hypothesize that the wear pattern is a unique character and therefore valuable for individual identification. Furthermore we suggest that OFA, when further developed, may be useful for identification of behavioral, biological, and chemical factors affecting crown morphology. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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