Specific types of notching or polish can indicate the use of teeth as tools — a documented behavior among Neanderthals, who sometimes used their front teeth to hold or process materials, leaving characteristic wear signatures.

Dental calculus — the hardened plaque that forms on teeth — is increasingly recognized as a repository of biological information.

Researchers have extracted ancient plant material from Neanderthal dental calculus at other sites, providing evidence for the consumption of specific plant foods.

In some cases, dental calculus has yielded evidence for the use of medicinal plants.

At Shanidar Cave, the dental calculus analysis from the original Solecki-era specimens contributed to the older flower burial hypothesis — and to the subsequent critiques of it.

For Shanidar Z specifically, the teeth are part of the evidence base for who she was and how she lived, within the limits of what can be determined from skeletal material.