The concave wear facets exposing dentin on the labial surfaces of all three preserved mandibular incisors is confirmed. The morphological variation of the OH1 mandible is closely aligned with variation in penecontemporaneous fossils from Africa and outside that of recent humans. A multivariate analysis of mandibular morphology of OH1 compared to other Late Pleistocene, Holocene, and recent modern humans was used to ascertain biological affinity.

Macroscopic and microscopic observations of all labial and buccal tooth surfaces were undertaken to assess wear patterns. A differential diagnosis of the wear and assessment of the biological affinity of OH1 is presented. The dentition of Olduvai Hominid 1 (OH1) exhibits an anomalous pattern of dental wear that was originally attributed to either intentional cultural modification (filing) or plant processing behaviors. As in recent humans, the use of labrets in prehistoric groups likely represents personal adornment tied to concepts of beauty and/or achieved/acquired status. In prehistoric Europe, labret use extends back, at least, to the early Upper Paleolithic. Occlusal wear or attrition caused by dental/oral manipulations where the teeth were used as tools is different, based on the resultant facets left on the teeth and micro-wear features. Unlike Mehrgarh and earlier prehistoric groups, in many cases Native American teeth are associated with the actual labrets in the graves. Vestibular wear occurs in a wide variety of specimens from the early Upper Paleolithic to modern patients. The most striking parallels to wear at Mehrgarh come from recent Inuit and Northwest Coast Native Americans where labret use was frequent in males and females. Binocular and scanning electron microscopy and one thin-sectioned tooth provided detailed information about the wear characteristics on the facets. NO-FEE OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL indexed in Scopus tooth class. For Mehrgarh macroscopic observations revealed numerous teeth with labial and buccal facets affecting nearly every F r a y e r e t a l. From the literature and some personal observations, we review evidence from the Czech early Upper Paleolithic and many later sites in the Old and New Worlds. We studied 215 teeth from ten individuals from the site. For detailed macroscopic, microscopic (binocular and SEM) and thin-sectioned analysis we focused on the early Neolithic site of Mehrgarh in Pakistan where labial/buccal wear is found in mostly older adult males. This type of wear occurs in some ethnographic-present and living populations and leaves telltale facets on non-occlusal vestibular surfaces associated with labrets. Compared to occlusal dental wear, labial/buccal abrasion is seldom documented in prehistoric groups.

Binocular picture