Orientation of occlusal contacts in the chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes verus, deduced from scanning electron microscopic analysis of dental microwear patterns.

Analysis of dental microwear may be used to detect species differences in diet and to secure information about occlusal relationships and biomechanics of the jaw. Microscratch-orientation data evaluated with reference to several hypotheses about functional, wear-related, sex and age influences on occlusal contacts indicated significant effects of facet type on scratch orientation, with less marked and sometimes paradoxical effects of molar wear and sex. Age per se seemed not to be related to scratch-orientation patterns. Orientations showed a considerable breadth of occlusal contact pathways, possibly indicating that in the chimpanzee, as in modern man, occlusal guidance is not precise.