AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 68:47-56 (1985)

Dental Wear in the Libben Population:

Its Functional Pattern and Role in the Determination of Adult
Skeletal.Age at Death
C. OWEN LOVEJOY
Departments of Anthropology and Biolagy, Kent State University, Kent,
Ohio 44242; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Cuyahoga County
Coroners Ofice, Cleveland, Ohio 44106; and Department of Human
Anatomy, Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown,
Ohio 44272

KEY WORDS Dentition, Dental wear, Age-at-death, Demography,

Dental attrition

ABSTRACT
Modal patterns of occlusal attrition are presented for the Libben population based on a sample of 332 adult dentitions. Maxillas and mandibles were reviewed independently by seriation prior to assessment of complete
dentitions. The Spearman rank order coefficient for upper and lower dentitions
was .96. Wear patterns are very similar to those reported by Murphy (1959a:
Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 17:167-178) for Australian aborigines. There were no
significant sexual differences in wear rate. Dental wear is concluded to be a
highly reliable and important indicator of adult age at death for skeletal populations if seriation procedures are employed.
Dental attrition has been intensively studied in a number of ways (Broca, 1879; Campbell and Lewis, 1926; Campbell, 1930; 1938ac; 1939a-e; Davies and Pedersen, 1955; Pedersen, 1938; Devoto et al., 1971; Goldberg et
al, 1976; Johnston and Snow 1961; Lavelle,
1970; Molnar, 1971; Morris, 1978; Mayhew,
1978; Murphy, 1959a; Smith, 1972; Taylor,
1963). More often than not, the approach and
the data generated are dependent upon the
original purpose of each study. Such data are
therefore of variable usefulness to those
studying dental attrition for other reasons.
The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, the dental wear patterns in the
Libben population were found to be extraordinarily regular in form and rate (see below).
Among the primary reasons for this regularity are the relatively short occupation span
(circa 200 to 300 years) and the homogeneity
of the population (Lovejoy et al., 1977).There
were apparently no major dietary shifts during the internment period, so masticatory
patterns and oral abrasives remained unchanged during the course of the occupation.
Thus the Libben population presents a highly
regular and progressive record of dental wear
resulting from a common hunter-gatherer
diet, and this pattern was deemed a valuable
(c)

1985 ALAN R. LISS, INC.

source of information for estimating individual age a t death.

Molnar (1971, 1972) has reviewed the various sources of dental attrition in anthropological populations, many of which may be
cited as having been important in the Libben
population. Among the most likely, however,
is the sandy grit adhering to dried fish. Fish
constituted a major portion of the food remains recovered from the site, which was
immediately adjacent to the Portage River.
In addition, the site lay only two miles from
the confluence of the Portage with Lake Erie.
Small mammal and vegetable remains were
the predominant constituents of the remainder of the diet (Harrison, 1978). While numerical description was attempted early in
the study, the problems of similarity in scoring to other such studies, and the need to
emphasize pattern, both dictated against this
form of recording.
METHODS

A sample of 332 adult dentitions was chosen from the Libben population for this study.

Received December 3, 1984; revised January 2, 1985; accepted

May 3,1985.

48

C.O. LOVEJOY

Care had been taken in the field (including

fine screening and flotation) to recover as
many loose teeth as possible. In cases where
complete crania were not preserved, a complete and fully adequate restoration of the
maxillas andor mandible was possible. Approximately 60% of the sample, therefore,
had complete dentitions (discounting premortem tooth loss).
The first phase of the study consisted of a
description of the basic pattern of attrition in
the population. In order to delineate such a
pattern, all dentitions were placed in groups
defined by the degree of wear in each of the
three functional dental areas (molars, premolars, anteriors). Specimens with significant antemortern loss were not included in
this phase. Each dentition was then seriated
within its group. This assured that none was
erroneously grouped and aided in the refinement of modal wear patterns. Murphy (1959a)
has provided detailed descriptions of the wear
in the dentitions of Australian aborigines.
These descriptions were not consulted until
after the Libben phases were described in
order to maintain maximum objectivity, although the results are remarkably similar
(see below).
The second phase of the study was intended
to determine the rate of wear. By means of
the methods described by Miles (1958, 1962,
1963a,b, 1978; Brothwell, 1963; Johnson,
19761, subadult dentitions from the age range
of 6 to 18 years (N = 132)were used to define
functional rates of wear in the molars (including use of his 6:6.5:7 functional year gradient), the premolars (considered together),
and the anterior teeth (incisors and canines
considered together). Maxillae and mandibles were seriated and described independently and were not reassessed as complete
individuals until after a n age had been assigned to each. The ages determined by this
method were considered modal and were applied only to complete (upper or lower) dentitions. All individuals with significant
premortem loss were then added to the sample. Using the assumption that wear accelerated with increasing tooth loss, the
population was reseriated. It was assumed
that wear rate increased moderately with the
unilateral loss of one molar row, and accelerated markedly with the loss of both.
Changes in rate were judged on the basis of
the proportion of dental area lost for mastication. Anterior teeth were strongly resistant to premortem loss, and their crowns

were normally worn away before final shedding, so such judgments were only necessary
for the postcanine dentition. Periodontal disease was pronounced in some cases, but because it clearly led to rapid tooth loss, its
effects on wear pattern were expressed
through the medium of tooth loss (i.e., acceleration in other portions of the dentition).
Each modal group was described and given
a letter designating its position in the sequence. Those descriptions are presented below (see also Figs. 1,2).
FUNCTIONAL ATTRITION OF THE MAXLLA

Phase A
M1: No dentine exposure. Polish of most
cusps with distinct facets occasionally appearing on trigone.
M2: Unworn to slight polish with infrequent small facets in older members.
M3: Unerupted. Crypt slightly to 50% open.
Ps: Erupted with minimal polishing.
Ant: Slight linear exposure of incisor dentine; none on canines.
Age: 12 - 18 years.
Phase B1
M1: No dentine exposure. Wear facets on
metacone andor protocone. Other cusps with
polish or apical facets
M2: No dentine exposure. Polishing of
cusps with occasional small facets on protocone or metacone.
M3: Unerupted. Crypt open to approximate
dimensions of tooth crown.
Ps: Wear facets or apical exposure of buccal cusps. Lingual cusps unaffected.
Ant: Occasional exposure of canine in older
members of group. Incisors vary from thin
linear exposure to distinct line of exposed
dentine.
Age: 16-20 years.
Phase B2
M1: Wear facets on metacone and protocone. Distinct facet on hypocone and occasionally on paracone.
M2: Polishing of three to four cusps. No
exposure.
M3: Active eruption or recently erupted (no
significant wear).
Ps: Wear facets or apical exposure of buccal cusps. Lingual cusps polished.
Ant: Occasional exposure of canine in older
members. Incisors vary from thin linear exposure to moderate band of dentine.
Age: 16-20 years.

B2

Fig. 1. Functional attritional stages of the maxillary dentition. For discussion see text.

@@@--

Fig. 2. Functional attritional stages of the mandibular dentition. For discussion see text.

@@@@@@--

LIBBEN DENTAL WEAR

Phase C
M1: Point exposure of protocone and metacone. Wear facets on hypocone and paracone.
M2: No dentine exposure. Broad facet on
protocone; apical facets on hypocone and paracone. Nonsignificant wear of metacone is
typical.
M3: Erupted with polishing.
PS:Point exposure may occasionally occur
on buccal cusp. Broad facets on lingual CUSPS.
Ant: Universal exposure of cuspids; moderately large circular exposure in older members; incisors show thin to moderate band of
dentine exposure.
Age: 18-22 years.
Phase D
M1: Point or small circular exposure of protocone. Point exposure of hypocone or paracone. Lingual wear strongly predominates.
M2: Broad facet on protocone with occasional exposure in older members. Strong
cuspal relief of buccal side remains intact.
M3: Little wear to small facets (usually on
lingual cusps).
Ps: Point exposure to ovoid exposure of
lingual and buccal cusps. Buccal wear
slightly advanced over lingual.
Ant: Canine cusp removed by wear with
10-20% crown loss. Incisors show 10-25%
crown loss.
Age: 20-24 years.
Phase E
M1: Small circular to semilunar exposure
of protocone. Point exposure of hypocone and
paracone or metacone, but not both. Hypocone occasionally has small circular dentine
exposure.
M2: Point exposure of protocone and occasionally also of hypocone in older members.
Wear facet on metacone: no exposure of remaining cusps.
M3: Fairly even flattening of crown but no
exposure.
Ps: Not significantly different from phase
D.
Ant: 20-30% crown loss of incisors and
canines.
Age: 24-30 years.
Phase F
M1: Semilunar exposure of protocone.
Small circular exposure of hypocone, paracone, and metacone. Occasional coalescence
of metacone and protocone, or less frequently
paracone and protocone (but not both).

51

M2: Small circular exposure of protocone.

Point exposure of two or all remaining cusps
in older members, but rare for metacone.
M3: Occasional exposure of protocone. Wear
facets on remaining cusps.
Ps: Small circular exposure of both cusps
with slight retardation of wear of lingual
cusp.
Ant: 20-40% crown loss.
Age: 30-35 years.
Phase G
M1: All four cusps exposed. Semilunar exposure of hypocone and paracone (conjoined).
Metacone generally less worn.
M2: Large circular exposure of protocone.
Small circular exposure of hypocone and paracone, but exposure of metacone still rare.
However, if exposed, it is generally of a point
or small circular type.
M3: Not significantly changed over previous phase.
Ps: Large circular exposure of both cusps.
Crown worn flat.
Ant: 30-50% crown loss.
Age: 35-40 years.
Phase H
M1: Coalescence of protocone and hypocone. Large circular exposure of paracone, or
rarely of metacone (but not both). Some coalescence of all cusps except metacone in older
members of group.
M2: Semilunar exposure of protocone.
Large circular exposure of hypocone and paracone; small circular exposure of metacone.
M3: Large circular exposure of protocone,
with small circular exposure of one other
cusp.
Ps: Large circular exposure of both cusps
with coalescence.
Ant: 40-60% crown loss.
Age: 40-50 years.
FUNCTIONAL ATTRITION OF THE MANDIBLE

Phase A
M1: No dentine exposure. Polish of most
cusps with distinct facets appearing occasionally on cusps of the trigonid.
M2: Unworn to slight polish with infrequent small facets in older members.
M3: Unerupted. Crypt slightly to 50%open.
Ps: Erupted. Minimal polishing.
Ant: Iypically a thin linear dentine exposure of incisors; no canine exposure.
Age: 12-18 years.

52

C.O. LOVEJOY

Phase B1
M1: Point exposure of dentine on protoconid only. Wear facets on additional cusps
but not pronounced.
M2: No exposure. Wear facets usually on
protoconid in older members. Polishing of remaining cusps with occasional small facets.
M3: Unerupted. Crypt slightly to 75%open.
Ps: Wear facets to point exposure of buccal
cusps. Lingual cusps unaffected. Buccal exposure in few older members of group.
Ant: Occasional exposure of canine in older
half of group. Incisors vary from thin linear
to moderate line of exposed dentine.
Age: 16-20 years.
Phase B2
M1: Point exposure of protoconid universal.
Older members exhibit additional point exposures on hypoconid and occasionally on
metaconid.
M2: No exposure. Distinct flat facets on one
to three cusps.
M3: Erupted without significant wear.
Ps: Wear facets or apical exposure of buccal cusps. Lingual cusp unaffected. Buccal
exposure in few older members of group.
Ant: Occasional exposure of canine in older
half of group. Incisors vary from thin early
exposure to distinct moderate line of exposed
dentine.
Age: 16-20 years.
Phase C
M1: Point exposure typical only of protoconid. Occasional exposure of one other cusp
(but rare). Fairly broad facets on other buccal
cusps. Polishing of lingual cusps.
M2: No dentine exposure. Protoconid may
show fairly broad facet. Apical facets on remaining cusps, but mostly restricted to buccal cusps. Polishing of remaining cusps.
M3: Erupted. Polishing with occasional apical facets in older members.
Ps: Lingual cusps show little or no wear.
Buccal cusps show range from polishing to
point exposure in older members. Fairly large
variation in degree of wear in these teeth.
Mode tends toward polishing without distinct facets.
Ant: Universal exposure of canines. Degree
of wear varies from point exposure to considerable loss of crown (up to 20%). Correlation
with molar wear poor. Incisors all with a t
least a moderate band of exposed dentine.
Degree variable but correlates with canine
wear.
Age: 18-22 years.

Phase D
M1: Point exposure of protoconid, hypoconid, and occasionally metaconid. Wear facets more pronounced on lingual cusps in older
members.
M2: Few cases of point exposure of protoconid in older members. Wear facets only in
buccal cusps among young members, on all
cusps of older members. Broad facet on protoconid (if not point exposure) and hypoconid.
Strong cuspal relief retained.
M3: Variable. Little wear to distinct facets
on buccal or lingual cusps, but not both.
Ps: Most show point exposure to distinct
ovoid exposure of mesial and occasionally on
distal premolars, but in both cases restricted
to buccal cusp. No exposure of lingual cusps.
Ant: Canine cusp now removed by wear;
tooth fully assimilated into incisor series.
Universal exposure of incisors with slight to
moderate wear (10-30% crown loss).
Age: 20-24 years.
Phase E
M1: Point exposure of protoconid, hypoconid, and metaconid or hypoconulid. Buccal
cusp exposures gradually expand with age in
group to become circular and occasionally
semilunar exposures. Lingual cusps less affected by wear and maintain considerably
higher relief, but wear facets give way to
point exposure in a few of oldest members.
M2: Protoconid exposed in all but youngest
members of group. Wear very similar to oldest members of previous group, with hypoconid exposure in older members.
M3: Variable. Flattening of most cusps with
mode being no dentine exposure. Wear generally more even than in M1 and M2.
Ps: No significant change from group D.
Ant: 20-50% crown loss of incisors. Canine
fully assimilated and wearing with incisors,
but with less apparent crown loss (20-30%).
Age: 24-30 years.
Phase F
M1: Multiple point exposure of all (or all
but one) cusps. Buccal exposure considerably
greater than lingual. Infrequent coalescence
of buccal cusps in older members.
M2: Exposure of one to three cusps, generally progressive in series. Wear facets on remaining cusps. Buccal wear predominates.
M3: Wear facets normal and modal. Occasional exposure of one cusp. Most variation
lies in degree of angulation of cuspal wear.
Ps: Cuspal topography maintained. Universal exposure of buccal cusp. Very irregu-

53

LIBBEN DENTAL WEAR

lar exposure of lingual cusp. Only slightly

advanced over Phase E.
Ant: 20-60% crown loss. Mode is 30-50%.
Age: 30-35 years.

Phase G
M1: Large circular or semilunar exposure
of buccal cusps. Point to small circular exposure of lingual cusps. Coalescence of protoconid and hypoconid or hypoconid and
hypoconulid but not both.
M2: Small circular exposures with occasional large circular or even semilunar exposure of buccal cusps. Point exposure or very
flat facets of lingual cusps.
M3: One exposure (usually the protoconid).
Fairly flat wear usually involving up to three
cusps.
Ps: Very variable. No exposure of lingual
cusp, but wear generally covers rest of tooth
crown.
Ant: 30-80% loss of crown of incisor. Mode
is 40-60% loss. Canine only slightly less
worn.
Age: 35-40 years.
Phase H
M1: Coalescence of protoconid, hypoconid,
and hypoconulid. Occasionally this extends
to include entoconid andor metaconid. Large
circular or semilunar exposures of all lingual
cusps if not coalesced.
M2: Two to four cusps coalesced. Buccal
cusps usually have large or occasionally semilunar exposures. Lingual usually small circular or occasionally large circular dentine
exposures.
M3: One or two exposures, but always include the protoconid. Tooth considerably
flattened.
Ps: Very variable. In several cases lingual
cusps now involved due to progressive attrition of buccal cusp. Many cases still conservative and not more advanced than in previous
two groups.
Ant: Highly variable. 30-80% crown loss.
Mode is 50-60% loss. Canine has identical
degree of loss.
Age: 40-45 years.
Phase I
M1: Coalescence of all (or all but one) cusps
to form a complete single surface of exposed
dentine. 50% loss of crown.
M2: Wear now considerably more irregular
as to location on crown. Large circular and
semilunar exposures. Coalescence of all buccal cusps is typical.

M3: Very variable. Not markedly increased

over previous group.
Ps: Crown worn flat. 50% loss of crown.
Loss of all cuspal topography. In most cases
some lingual enamel remains but worn very
flat.
Ant: Extreme wear. 40-90% loss of crown.
Mode is about 80%, but teeth still functional.
Frequent pulp exposure with consequent impending loss in older members.
Age: 45-55 years.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

General regularities in Libben dental wear

The above stages represent modal wear
patterns in the Libben population. Wear in
excess of that described in the successive (lettered) groups was too variable for modal description, although individuals with such
pronounced wear were given interpolated age
assessments.
The following may be concluded from the
Libben modal wear patterns described above:
1. Wear in the anterior teeth accelerates
after complete dentine exposure, with the
rate of crown loss being greater after the age
of 30 years.
2. Wear rate is slightly greater in the mandible than in the maxilla.
3. Buccal wear predominates in both the
maxillary and mandibular premolars until
the crown is flattened; after this point there
is no longer a differential.
4. Lingual wear is more rapid in maxillary
molars, while buccal wear predominates in
mandibular molars. This is consistent with
previous findings (Murphy, 1959a) and with
normal occlusion and mastication.
5. Wear is symmetrical and generally even
with respect to side except in cases involving
tempomandibular joint disease, unilateral
molar loss or periodontal disease, etc.
6. The cuspal exposure sequence for mandibular molars is protoconid-hypoconidmetaconid-(hypoconu1id)-entoconid. This is
similar to that found by Murphy (1959a) in
Australian aborigines. The hypoconulid is a
variable cusp and evinces variable wear.
7. The cuspal exposure sequence for the
maxillary molars is protocone-hypocone-paracone-metacone. This is also similar to that
found by Murphy (1959a).
8. Molar wear is more variable in the maxilla than in the mandible.
9. Wear is regular and symmetrical and
clearly reflects increasing chronological age
in the population. The great predominance

54

C.O. LOVEJOY

of wear is due to the mastication of food;

there are no major cultural effects in dental
wear at Libben.
Dental wear in estimating age at death
Opinions have varied widely as to the effectiveness of tooth wear in the estimation of
age-at-death. Stewart (19621, for example, reviewed Johnston and Snows (1961) revision
of the Indian Knoll population and commented that

. . . the fact that the authors emphasize

dental attrition as a n accessory means of
age estimation or as an indicator of age
. . . raises doubts. . . . Certainly it is valid to
use dental attrition as a n aid in distinguishing a young adult from a n old adult, but
when it comes to distinguishing a 30-yearold individual from a 40-year-old individual,
attrition is no more reliable than suture closure. What is interesting to know is the variability of attrition at successive ages as
determined by other criteria. (Stewart,
1962:143)
Miles, on the other hand, states that in
archaic populations, tooth wear probably provides the best indicator of age if it can be
used systematically (1978). Both observers,
in fact, are probably correct. The primary
difference lies, as Miles notes, in methodology. If a single individual is being assessed
in the typical forensic fashion, assignment of
age on the basis of dental wear alone, would
allow only a gross approximation at best. On
the other hand, if a n entire skeletal population is reviewed systematically (i.e., seriated
see Lovejoy et al., 19851, dental wear can be
a highly accurate indicator of age at death.
The age indicator correlation matrix for the
Libben population is provided in Table 1.The
correlations between dental wear and the
other indicators are consistently high. Lovejoy et a1 (1985), in fact, found dental wear to
be a n effective indicator of age even in a
highly mixed anatomical population (the
Todd Collection), in which many factors dictated against its success. In the present study,
wear patterns in the Libben Amerindians
were found to be remarkably similar to those
observed by Murphy (1959a) in Australian
aborigines. This is encouraging in the sense
that the greater the regularity of dental wear,
the more likely its ability to accurately estimate age-at-death. Thus, while rates will certainly differ in various hunting and

gathering societies, regularity of pattern renders rate estimation easier and more accurate.
Additional comment seems appropriate
with respect to Stewarts opinion that
changes in dental wear should be compared
to age (judged by some other criterion) rather
than being used to determine age itself. Similar comments are frequently made with respect to other age indicators such as trabecular and cortical bone involution. The solution to this problem is simple. If age is
assessed by each criterion separately and all
are systematically combined to form a single
age estimate (as it should be; Lovejoy et al,
19851, then such a n estimate can be recalculated minus a particular criterion in order to
independently judge its particular age behavior. However, the demographic profiles of
skeletal populations are of primary importance, and every attempt should be made to
determine age structure with great accuracy.
This requires the systematic use of all significant age-related anatomical data, since such
data have been shown to improve the accuracy of age-at-death estimations (Lovejoy et
al, 1985).
In the Libben population, dental wear was
found to be sufficiently regular to allow the
designation of modal wear groups (with attendent age estimations). A primary problem, not yet addressed, is the interpolation of
individuals with significant antemortem loss.
The assignment of age to these individuals is
more subjective. For this reason, as noted
above, maxillas and mandibles were assessed independently in order to test the repeatability of age interpolation. After seriation and age assignment, the data were
subjected to both Pearson and Spearman correlational analyses. A sample of 113 dentitions for which age assignment could be made
on both maxilla and mandible were available. The Pearson product moment correlation between their independent age
assignments was .93, while the Spearman
rank order correlation was .96. These data
TABLE 1. Libben population age indicator
intercorrelation matrix
Dental Auricular Pubic Femoral Sutures
Dental
Auricular
Pubic
Femoral
Sutures

1.00
.78
.82

.76
.68

.78
1.00
.84
.67
.60

.82

.84
1.00
.73
.66

.76
.67
.73
1.00
53

.68
.60
.66
,513
1.00

55

LIBBEN DENTAL WEAR

imply considerable consistency in the assignment of age in individuals with significant

premortem loss. They do not, of course, carry
any implication with respect to the accuracy
of age assignment, but the intercorrelation
matrix provided in Table 1at least partially
verifies the latter.

Sex differences in dental wear rate

The problem of differential rates of wear
according to sex must be addressed. Campbell (19398, for example, found significant
differences in Australian aboriginal populations (his data have been restructured and
are presented in Table 2). Lunt (1978),to the
contrary, could find no significant sex differences in her Danish populations (despite relatively high rates of attrition). It is likely
that differences in rate are due to the socioeconomic status of the populations and the
possible roles of non-dietary uses of the dentition (Molnar, 1971, 1972). In order to test
for sex differences in the Libben population,
ages assessed by dental wear were compared
to those determined by the other major indicators (see Lovejoy et al, 1977). Table 3 presents mean ages by sex for each of these
indicators. All data pairs in Table 3 were
TABLE 2. Age and dental wear by sex in Australian
Aborigines (in percent) (Data modified from
Campbell, 1939 a-e)
Age group
(yr)
Males
20-29
30-49
50 +
Total
Females
20-29
30-49
50 +
Total

Stage of attrition
I1
111

IV

Total

17
6
0
23

11
18
7
36

2
13
14
29

0
2
11
13

30
39
32

4
2
1
7

14
10
1
25

6
28
10
44

0
14
10
28

24
54
22

tested by paired t and none was found to be

significant. There would appear to possibly
be a very slight trend, however, toward a
higher rate of wear among females. This is
indicated by the slightly greater ages given
by dental wear in comparison with those
yielded by sutures and the auricular surface.
However, pubic and dental ages are virtually
identical, and the dentallfemoral age pairs
indicate a greater wear rate in males. The
latter age indicator tends to underage males
and this is the most likely source of this
discrepancy. A slightly higher wear rate in
females would be most likely attributable to
some cultural activity, but in any case there
is little or no evidence that significant differences in wear rate exist for the two sexes.
Although the primary purpose of the present study was the determination of age a t
death using dental attrition, the patterns delineated may prove useful in future studies
of functional dental attrition. Numerous surveys have been carried out on dental wear in
a variety of populations. At least two major
difficulties have hampered these studies,
however, in allowing their data to be used in
a comparative manner. The first is the failure of many investigators to take into consideration the age structure of the population.
Thus, little can be said about rate of wear
from their data. Second, the manner of recording has in many studies been limited to
the original five-level scale introduced by
Broca (1879), or some modification of this
scale. While useful in the rapid recording of
dental wear patterns, Brocas scale is not
sufficiently detailed to allow specification of
detailed patterning. Molnar has introduced a
more complex method, but it is hampered by
the difficulty of application by other observers (Lunt, 1978), and it is not appropriate if
age-determination is a prime consideration.
As noted above, the system used by Murphy
(1959a) is similar to that used here (but was

TABLE 3. Male and female means ofLibben age indicators

Sex

Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female

Dental wear
Mean
SD
32.6
37.5
33.0
35.8
33.0
36.8
33.2
36.9

8.6
12.0
8.4
11.0
8.0
12.2
9.7
11.0

Other age indicator

SD
Mean

N
73
66
57
65
62
53
55
52

Pubis
Auricular
Femoral
Sutures

32.8
37.4
34.2
34.8
30.0
36.4
34.1
34.6

8.2
11.2
7.4
10.3
7.5
10.7
8.7
9.0

56

C.O. LOVEJOY

designed for application to the single tooth

and not the complete dentition). Future work
may allow refinement of these systems, and
data from populations with markedly regular wear patterns may prove valuable in
functional studies of human mastication. It
is hoped that the modal patterns presented
above will be of such service.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The research reported in this paper was

funded by the National Science Foundation,
Division of Behavioral and Neural Sciences,
Award No. BNS-77-07958.
LITERATURE CITED
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