Inter-microscope comparability of dental microwear texture data obtained from different optical profilometers: Part II Deriving instrument-specific correction equations for meta-analyses using published data.

Abstract

Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) has emerged as a valuable method for investigating the feeding ecology of vertebrates. Over the past decade, three-dimensional topographic data from microscopic regions of tooth surfaces have been collected, and surface texture parameters have been published for both extant and fossil species. However, different types of measurement instruments and surface processing used by respective laboratories conducting DMTA have limited the potential data comparison. In this study, we propose correction formulae for the DMTA data produced by different instruments to facilitate intercomparison. We used six confocal instruments from five laboratories to scan standard tooth samples with strictly defined scan areas. We found significant differences in DMTA parameter values among the different machines, despite scanning the exact same spots. The degree of discrepancy varied considerably, with instruments from the same manufacturer and similar models showing less variation. Some parameters exhibited high correlations between instruments, enabling the development of regression equations for correction formulae. Using these correction formulae, we adjusted published DMTA data and conducted a meta-analysis of extant herbivores to examine the effects of internal and external abrasives. Our findings indicate overall positive effects of internal and external abrasives on DMTA, with varying responses to the abrasives between ruminant and non-ruminant herbivores. The meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that ruminants effectively "wash ingesta" in their rumens, mitigating the impact of external abrasives and reducing overall dental wear.