Dental Functional Morphology Ho Teeth Work [Paperback]

Innovative theory showing how mammalian tooth form can be understood using considerations of food fracture.How Teeth Work offers an innovative alternative to the received wisdom that teeth merely crush, cut, shear or grind food, and shows how teeth adapt to diet. It shows how tooth form from the earliest mammals to humans can be understood using basic considerations about how different foods fracture. It outlines the theory step-by-step, providing an allometric analysis explaining the factors governing tooth shape and size. An easy-to-use appendix also provides basic mechanics, together with methods of measurement. It will be essential reading for physical anthropologists, dental and food scientists.How Teeth Work offers an innovative alternative to the received wisdom that teeth merely crush, cut, shear or grind food, and shows how teeth adapt to diet. It shows how tooth form from the earliest mammals to humans can be understood using basic considerations about how different foods fracture. It outlines the theory step-by-step, providing an allometric analysis explaining the factors governing tooth shape and size. An easy-to-use appendix also provides basic mechanics, together with methods of measurement. It will be essential reading for physical anthropologists, dental and food scientists.This book offers an innovative alternative to the assumption that teeth merely crush, cut, shear or grind food, and demonstrates how teeth adapt to diet. Peter Lucas reveals how tooth form from the earliest mammals to humans can be understood using basic considerations about how different foods fracture. He outlines his theory step-by-step, providing an allometric analysis explaining the factors governing tooth shape and size. An easy-to-use appendix also provides basic mechanics, and methods of measurement. This volume will be essential reading for physical anthropologists and dental and food scientists.Preface; Flickart; 1. How to get excited about teeth; 2. The basic structure lÃ$