Drs. Anthony R. Silvestri and Iqbal Singh stated that the major dental finding in prehistoric people was severe occlusal wear ("The Unresolved Problem of the Third Molar: Would People Be Better Off Without It?" April JADA). Their next conclusion, that the prevalence of functional third molars likely helped to prevent even more wear as a function of force distribution, is not valid in my view.
Using current observable concepts of occlusion, it is more likely that the extensive wear patterns result from premature occlusion torquing off the third molars and causing an anterior slide as being the wear culprit. The slide, coupled with dietary abrasiveness and greater muscular strength, is a more logical assessment.
Today’s obvious mechanism for this conclusion is the second molar deflection that causes severe anterior wear in patients who normally have no anterior contacts in centric relation—our practices are full of these individuals.
