Tooth Grooves On Ancient Human Ancestors May Not Be Evidence Of "Oldest Human Habit" After All

Nail-biting and nose-picking have probably been around since our ancient ancestors walked the Earth, but these habits don’t leave much of a physical trace. Tooth-picking, on the other hand, does – or so it was thought. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

For decades, anthropologists have examined the dental remains of prehistoric hominins and noticed deep, V-shaped notches near the gum line.

Many researchers concluded that these ancient grooves were indents left behind by hominins picking their teeth with small tools, perhaps to remove stubborn food fibers of tough megafauna meat. Some even hailed them as evidence of the “oldest human habit related to oral hygiene.”

They have been documented throughout our recent evolu