ARTIFICIAL TOOTH-NECK GROOVING IN LIVING AND PREHISTORIC POPULATION

Artificial defects on the surface of human teeth occur as wedge-shaped defects in living and as approximal grooves in prehistoric population s. After a general description of mechanically-induced forms of wear o f the human teeth these defects are differentiated by their specific s hapes and localisation by macroscopic and SEM examinations. The two op posing theories (toothbrush-induced vs. biophysically-induced) regardi ng the etiology of wedge-shaped defects are discussed, causes for the development of approximal grooves are listed. Prehistoric and ethnolog ical cases are cited in support of the findings. The authors present i ndications for a long tradition of oral hygiene and the means by which it may have been performed.