The dental wear pattern documented by Vlok and the team is, by their account, a previously unrecognized form of dental pathology — something that had not been formally described in the archaeological or bioarchaeological literature before this study.

This claim deserves unpacking, because it speaks to why the discovery was not made earlier.

Dental pathology in ancient skeletal remains is extensively studied.

Researchers have documented tooth decay, periodontal disease, enamel hypoplasias (defects in enamel formation indicating periods of growth stress), wear from grinding plant foods, wear from using teeth as tools, and numerous other forms of dental damage across thousands of ancient specimens.

What no one had formally documented before this study was the specific pattern of smooth, rounded, hollowed-out grooves produced by holding a round object in the mouth over years of habitual use.