The ontogeny of premolar dental wear in Cercocebus albigena (cercopithecidae)

The orientation of striated wear facets on primate teeth serves as a useful guide for reconstructing jaw movements during mastication. Most wear facets on the molars are formed during one of the two well‐documented movements, Phase I or Phase II, of the power stroke. Another jaw movement direction, “orthal retraction” (OR) has been proposed to account for a third set of facets occasionally present on the pointed tips of premolars and molars. Evidence advanced here indicates that OR facets on pointed anterior premolars (P 3 ) of cercopithecoids are actually Phase I facets that have become reoriented as a result of a rotation of this tooth during its eruption. “Orthal retraction” probably does not exist as a discrete masticatory phase.