Evaluation of the Quantity and Direction of Dental Wear in A Chalcolithic Population

The objective of this study was to assess dental wear as a function of age within the population of a Chalcolithic burial cave: the Gaches ossuary (Aveyron). The teeth bear witness to the lifestyle and nutrition of this period. The frequency and distribution of teeth present, post-mortem and ante-mortem losses, and the amount and direction of tooth wear were studied as a function of age. The material studied includes 82 mandibles. Wear was assessed according to the classification proposed by Brabant and Sahly and age by the Brothwell classification. The results show a statistically significant difference in the amount and direction of wear depending on age. Early wear affects all types of teeth, and the high rate is probably due to a hard and abrasive diet. The molars and more particularly the first molars (M1) are the teeth most affected by wear due to their eruption chronology, which suggests a significant abrasive load from food.