Modern Diet Contributing to Dental Problems
Researchers believe that the modern diet may be contributing to dental problems.
According to researchers from Kent University, our soft food diet may be causing our jaws to develop differently, meaning that they are smaller, wider and shorter than they used to be. The difference in the size of the jaw in relation to the teeth means that the teeth are overcrowded.
Researchers analysed the sizes of the jaws of people from different human populations and the results showed that those who adopted a hunter-gatherer lifestyle were likely to have longer, narrower jaws.
Dr Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel, lead researcher from Kent University, said that the results of study indicated that the size of the jaws was largely dictated by eating habits. She added that the jaw is very adaptable and can change shape depending on the individual’s behaviour, which suggests that changing eating habits could impact on the shape of the jaw.
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. The results of other studies, which have focused on animals, show that changing from hard to soft food can reduce the size of the jaw by up to 10 percent.
Join this Discussion
