Abstract or Keywords
Teeth have long been a focus of body modication as a visible and durable medium for communication with others through tooth removal (ablation), or alteration of tooth appearance by imbedding inlays, dyeing or painting the tooth crown, or shaping the occlusal or labial surfaces or both. One or more of these techniques for modication of the dentition have been employed on every populated continent at some point for the past twenty thousand years. Given the geographic and temporal distribution of intentional dental modication, the immense variability in such practices cannot be surprising. This chapter provides an overview of the primary types of intentional dental modication and discusses their classication and identication. It also reviews the geographic and temporal distribution of intentional dental modication worldwide and discusses the cultural signicance and implications of these practices.