Plant fibers found in ancient hominin dental calculus might have come from processing materials like plants for tools or other non-food uses, rather than from eating them.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
The fibers in the ancient teeth weren't eaten—they got stuck there because the person used their mouth to handle plants while making tools or cleaning themselves. As plaque built up on the teeth, the fibers got trapped and turned to stone over time, preserving them for over a million years.
Most probable mechanism
Plant fibers got stuck in the teeth not because they were eaten, but because the person used their mouth to handle or clean plant materials, like stripping bark or chewing on fibers to soften them for making tools.
Plant fibers are introduced into the oral cavity through manual manipulation using the hands and mouth, such as biting, chewing, or holding plant materials during tool preparation or cleaning.
Fibers become trapped in dental plaque as it forms around teeth, especially in areas where mechanical contact with the fibers is frequent and prolonged.
Over time, mineralization of plaque turns the trapped fibers into stable deposits within dental calculus, preserving them for thousands of years.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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