Pig enamel revisited - Incremental markings in enamel of wild boars and domestic pigs

摘要

The nature and periodicity of incremental markings in pig enamel is currently debated. To broaden the basis for a correct interpretation of growth marks in pig enamel, we analyzed their periodicity in teeth of wild boars and domestic pigs. For that, the numbers of enamel incremental markings were recorded in ground sections and compared with crown formation times for the respective teeth derived from literature data on tooth development and eruption in Sus scrofa. Our study revealed that laminations with a daily periodicity are the dominant incremental feature of pig enamel. In wild boar M(3)s, daily enamel secretion (apposition) rates ranged between a minimum of 6.1 mu m in the inner and a maximum of 30.6 mu m in the outer enamel.