Summary

Dr. Julia Boughner of the University of Saskatchewan talks about the evolution of human teeth. Why do adults have ~32 teeth? Are our jaws shrinking? What’s the deal with wisdom teeth? Does modern dentistry change our evolutionary path?

Recommendations

• Dr. Julia Boughner’s ResearchGate profile
• Dr. Boughner’s faculty page
• Marchiori DF, Packota GV, Boughner JC. Initial third molar development is delayed in jaws with short distal space: An early impaction sign? Arch Oral Biol. 2019 Oct;106:104475. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2019.06.010. Epub 2019 Jul 4. PMID: 31306938.
• Bad molars? The origins of wisdom teeth
• P. Ungar. (2014). Teeth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• T. Smith. (2018). The Tales Teeth Tell: Development, Evolution, Behavior. MIT Press.
• N. Hayes. (2021). The Book of Trespass: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us. Bloomsbury.
• E. Favilli. (2020). Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World. Rebel Girls.
• A. Garza. (2021). The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart. One World.