Abstract: Dental enamel chipping is a specific dental wear feature indicative of behaviors and tooth-use during the life of an individual. Enamel chipping provides information on consistency and texture of food, the methods of obtaining and processing food, and the use of dentition for non-masticatory behaviors. Despite the utility of dental chipping for reconstructing aspects of prehistoric human lifeways, the prevalence and patterning of enamel chipping for Late Pleistocene humans is especially rare. In the present study, the size, frequency, and patterning of enamel chippings among Late Pleistocene humans from the Maomaodong site, Xingyi, Guizhou Province in Southwest China are analyzed. The results show that enamel chipping occurs on the post-canine dentitions of two of the three individuals. The small sample does not allow extensive comparisons, but the rates of chipping are similar to those documented in other foraging groups. The chips were found exclusively on molars of the more heavily worn dentitions. Similarly, there is an age-related component to the presence of periodontal disease, whereby only the two older adults exhibit periodontal disease (in addition to enamel chipping). We suggest that enamel chipping is primarily related to the inclusion of small, hard items in the diet. The chips are numerous, but relatively small – probably related to dietary grit and food processing techniques. Periodontal disease is indicative of a relatively high morbidity in older adults from Maomaodong. In addition, multiple occurrences of enamel chippings on nearly all enamel chipped molars suggest a long time consumption of rough and hard foods by the Maomaodong humans.

Key words: Tooth enamel; Enamel chipping; Late Pleistocene; Paleoanthropology; Diet; Maomaodong