Dear Fiona,
I am not sure whether the condition is the same as that which you
describe, but at Dudley Castle, West Midlands, 3% of loose cattle incisors
(n=255) bore evidence of 'notches' at the base of the crown. The cause of this condition has been
discussed by Müller (1997) who suggests that those which occur on part of the
root situated below the alveolus are probably cultural artefacts, whilst those
found in the collum of the tooth are “probably pathological phenomena of natural
origin”. Miles and Grigson (1990,
494-5) also suggest that they are caused by the abrasive effects of grass as it
is pulled through the teeth during grazing.
Miles,
A.E.W. and Grigson, C. 1990. Coyler’s
variations and diseases of the teeth of animals. Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press.
Müller, H-H. 1997. Notches in animal teeth: artificial
or natural/pathological? Anthropozoologica 25, 26: 149-151.
Best
Wishes
Richard
Hello Zooarch,
I wonder if anyone could help me with a query on cattle incisors.
These are from a rural early medieval site in Ireland. I have a number
of these which have circular depressions on the labial surface. These
are not hypoplastic pits (I have some of these as well). The
depressions are smooth sided and run to a shallow base, between 3.4 and
6mm in diameter and between 2 and 4.6mm above the cemento-enamel
junction. Most of these teeth are heavily worn. The four examples
come from a number of different contexts from different phases of the site,
although some contexts have shown mixing so in theory they could all be
contemporary.
The labial surface would seem to be a strange place for toothwear, and I
haven't been able to find anything about any developmental defects like this,
so if anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. I can
forward digital photos if they would be of any help.
Thank you
Fiona Beglane
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