Masticatory function and oral rehabilitation

Summary Examination of many different animal dentitions suggests that in those whose function is mastication rather than merely prehension, tooth wear is not only normal but essential to achieve full efficiency. A similar character is found in man among Eskimos and Aborigines where these people live on completely natural diets, and also in Anglo‐Saxon skulls. It is suggested that attrition should be a normal process in the human dentition, and compensatory mechanisms for the loss of tooth substance are discussed. The significance of the unworn cusp in relation to dental and other diseases of Western civilisation is considered, together with the suggestion that sufficient evidence now exists to justify simple cusp height reduction as a prophylactic measure.