Scientists found pieces of non-food wood in the dental calculus of a 1.2-million-year-old hominin fossil, positioned near a groove between teeth, which may indicate the use of tools for cleaning...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Someone used a stick to clean food out from between their teeth, and tiny pieces of that stick got stuck in the hardened plaque that formed around their teeth. This is the simplest explanation for why wood fragments were found exactly where food usually gets trapped.
Most probable mechanism
A person used a small stick or similar object to poke between their teeth to remove stuck plant material, leaving behind wood fragments that became trapped and preserved in the hardened plaque around the teeth.
Food particles, including plant fibers, become lodged in the narrow spaces between teeth during chewing.
A rigid object, such as a wooden stick, is inserted into the interproximal groove to dislodge the trapped material.
Fragments of the object break off or wear down during use and remain embedded in the dental calculus as it mineralizes around the teeth.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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Gold Standard Evidence Needed
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