A dental revolution: The association between occlusion and chewing behaviour

Abstract

Dentistry is confronted with the functional and aesthetic consequences that result from an increased prevalence of misaligned and discrepant dental occlusal relations in modern industrialised societies. Previous studies have indicated that a reduction in jaw size in response to softer and more heavily processed foods during and following the Industrial Revolution (1,700 CE to present) was an important factor in increased levels of poor dental occlusion. The functional demands placed on the masticatory system play a crucial role in jaw ontogenetic development; however, the way in which chewing behaviours changed in response to the consumption of softer foods during this period remains poorly understood. Here we show that eating more heavily processed food has radically transformed occlusal power stroke kinematics. Results of virtual 3D analysis of the dental macrowear patterns of molars in 104 individuals dating to the Industrial Revolution (1,700–1,900 CE), and 130 of their medieval and early post-medieval antecedents (1,100–1,700 CE) revealed changes in masticatory behaviour that occurred during the early stages of the transition towards eating more heavily processed foods. The industrial-era groups examined chewed with a reduced transverse component of jaw movement. These results show a diminished sequence of occlusal contacts indicating that a dental revolution has taken place in modern times, involving a dramatic shift in the way in which teeth occlude and wear during mastication. Molar macrowear suggests a close connection between progressive changes in chewing since the industrialization of food production and an increase in the prevalence of poor dental occlusion in modern societies.

Intraoral scanner-based monitoring of tooth wear in young adults: 24-month results

“…However, other factors that have not been in the focus so far may also play a role. For example, in a study of the macrowear patterns of pre-industrial and industrial burial remains, it was reconstructed that food properties may influence chewing behavior and that there is a biomechanical feedback loop between food texture, chewing behavior and wear [ 40 ]. Even though the differences in food texture in the periods studied were certainly much greater than would be expected in today’s usual range, asking about this aspect in nutrition questionnaires might reveal new links between nutrition and wear.…”

Chewing and Swallowing Patterns for Different Food Textures in Healthy Subjects

“…Because tooth contact is required during mastication, the presence of dental pain undoubtedly causes difficulty in performing the normal mastication process [ 27 ]. Modification of food properties that promotes the growth and development of the masticatory system may potentially be an alternative for anticipating dental occlusion disturbance [ 28 ].…”

Understanding dietary ecology in great apes from dental macrowear analysis

“…Tooth wear is the enamel loss produced by different mechanisms acting over the occlusal surface, such as attrition, abrasion, and erosion (e.g., Kaidonis, 2008; Kaifu et al, 2003). Analyses of macrowear patterns help to reconstruct the attritional movements generated during the mastication of food, and therefore they provide indirect evidences of individual's diet (e.g., Fiorenza et al, 2011; Kullmer et al, 2009; Silvester et al, 2021). At the same time, tooth wear helps in maintaining masticatory efficiency throughout the lifetime of an individual (Lee et al, 2021), by reducing the gaps between antagonistic contacts, and by changing the stress distribution and decreasing the tensile stress acting over the tooth surface (Benazzi, Nguyen, Kullmer, & Hublin, 2013; Benazzi, Nguyen, Schulz, et al, 2013).…”