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Sex differences in tooth wear ofMacaca fuscata, the Arashiyama-A troop in Texas

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Abstract

The incidence of tooth wear was studied in a wild troop ofM. fuscata, that had previously been transplanted from Arashiyama, Japan, to Texas. This study was undertaken to determine differences of attrition between males and females, and between maxillary and mandibular dentitions. Contrary to other findings, the rate of wear was not found to be an expression of sex difference, but seemed rather related to function. The following observations may suffice as examples: The mandibular third premolars function as a honing surface for the maxillary canines, and experience greater wear over time in males due to their proximity to smaller canines which leave their neighbors more vulnerable to wear.

The degree of attrition intensity is neither the same for males and females, nor the maxillary and mandibular dentitions. Certain maxillary and mandibular teeth “pair up”; although all “pairs” are identical in males and females, they rank differently in the degree of wear experienced.

Overall, females express greater attrition in the maxillary, and males in the mandibular dentitions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthodontics, University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, 06032, Farmington, Connecticut, U.S.A.

    G. Gisela Nass

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  1. G. Gisela Nass
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Nass, G.G. Sex differences in tooth wear ofMacaca fuscata, the Arashiyama-A troop in Texas. Primates 22, 266–276 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382616

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02382616

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