Monday, December 14, 2015

Malocclusion - a Sign of Civilization


Click for Intriguing Lecture
UK, declares that of the 4629 mammals, only humans exhibit malaligned teeth. In the British Dental Journal, an article featuring Dr. Mew explains that “in the fields of both anthropology and archaeology, malocclusion is considered a sign of civilization. It is not present in any of our pre-civilized ancestors, who had well aligned teeth (regardless of attrition) from birth until death. The origin of malocclusion does not follow a genetic pattern but appears wherever and whenever cooking and tool-making appear, and progresses from mild imbrications to skeletal manifestations as civilization advances. There is also no evidence that we should not accommodate 32 well-aligned teeth today or that there has been any genetic change.” The causes of malocclusion, according to Mew, are environmental factors, mainly soft diet, high-nutritional/calorie foods, lowering the amount of chewing, and nasal obstructing allergies. Both lead to long-term postural lowering of the mandible, effectively shortening the space for teeth. Dr. Mew humorously suggests that the best method for young people to achieve ‘normal’ maxilla-facial architecture, is to stand up straight, chew multiple pieces of gum at the same time for 2 hours per day, and keep the mouth shut (“just like your parents taught you,” adds Mew).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvoX_wEtwDk 

No comments:

Post a Comment