MOOSE SENESCENCE RELATED TO TOOTH WEAR
Tooth wear in moose (Alces alces) generally follows an age-related sequence. The enamel-dentine interface forms an intricate pattern representing the effective cutting edge of teeth. We measured the linear cutting edges of 6 mandibles from 9 wear classes from Isle Royale moose skeletal remains. We c...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Lakehead University
1994
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/921 |
| Summary: | Tooth wear in moose (Alces alces) generally follows an age-related sequence. The enamel-dentine interface forms an intricate pattern representing the effective cutting edge of teeth. We measured the linear cutting edges of 6 mandibles from 9 wear classes from Isle Royale moose skeletal remains. We calculated cutting edge for each tooth and toothrow for all wear glasses, scaled to a constant toothrow length. Our results suggest that effective cutting surface increases until wear class V and then declines, consistent with progressive eruption and tooth wear. Late eruption of the third molar helps maintain a constant cutting edge for several years after older teeth have deteriorated. Senescence corresponds to the period of tooth decline. |
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