TEENAGERS facing the purgatory Of braces to fix misaligned Teeth might be able to blame Bread for their predicament. Noreen van Cramon-Taubadel. The University of Kent, UK measured the shape of 295 human lower jaws from Museum specimens. Those that Came from agricultural societies Were smaller on average than those That came from Hunter/Gather societies.
Although all carried the same number Of teeth.
The differences persisted even after She accounted for the effects of climate, Geography, and random genetic variations. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI:10.1073/pnas.1113050108)
The likeliest explanation is that Grain-rich agricultural diets tend to be softer and easier to chew Than the wild plant and meat-rich Diets of hunter/gatherers- So the Jaw does not grow so large,says Von Cramon-Taubadel.
