Dental microwear analysis can be used to infer non-masticatory behaviors, such as the use of teeth as tools.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent peer-reviewed sources (studies on Neandertals, Sima de los Huesos hominins, and Paleolithic populations) consistently describing microwear analysis as a method for detecting non-masticatory tooth use, such as using teeth as tools or a 'third hand'. [tier=silver indep_score=0.925 clusters=2 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Dental microwear (wikipedia)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047248421000993 (corroboration)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257909843_Anterior_Dental_Microwear_Texture_Analysis_of_the_Krapina_Neandertals (corroboration)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5233859_Non-masticatory_uses_of_anterior_teeth_of_Sima_de_los_Huesos_individuals_Sierra_de_Atapuerca_Spain (corroboration)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/microwear-analysis (corroboration)