ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the value of tooth attrition as an indication of age. Morris published a comprehensive review of mammalian age determination methods. His methods talk about tooth eruption and wear were that they were, with certain provisos, fairly reliable indicators of age. The mastication process itself and the nature of the occlusion of the teeth will affect tooth wear. The normal movement of the lower jaw of a ruminant during mastication includes a vertical and a transverse action. The main effect of the assumed heavy wear on the teeth of the Orkney sheep seems to have been the high incidence of ante-mortem tooth loss. The condition of the teeth of the North Ronald say animals was fairly poor, on many of the jaws the occlusal surface of the teeth was rather pitted and lacked the normal rather smooth appearance. The application of the methods of age assessment by tooth wear to archaeological material has yielded promising results.
