![]() ![]() “Of all animals, only Man possesses speech” (Aristotle). This leads to the conclusion that, at least in part, speech is behind all these changes, although it is difficult to establish a cause-effect relationship. There is a greater lingual space and there is also a chin that suggests a muscular stimulant. ![]() The human skull has temporomandibular joints that are comparatively less flat with a more limited movement. The refinement of the supralaryngeal vocal tract in the human species must have co-evolved with speech fairly recently. However, the majority of the variables studied in skulls and mandibles are greater in chimpanzees, which suggests that the evolution of the oral zone in humans has suffered a reduction in size with changes in shape. On average, humans weigh 70 kg and chimpanzees 44 kg. The number of mandibular movements involved in speech is far greater than those used in chewing, which must have conditioned the evolution of the oral structures implicated in the development of language. ![]() Together with other factors (bipedalism, habits, and genetics) speech in humans must have played an important role in the aforementioned differences between humans and chimpanzees. This has been confirmed with the analysis of new variables. The chin, which is unique to the human species, is quantified through the external slope of the mandibular symphysis with a lesser angle in humans.ĭiscussion: It is obvious that there are differences between humans and chimpanzees in the bone morphology of the oral cavity structures. A significant difference is noted in mandibular alveolar vergency and in the internal slope of the mandibular symphysis where the oral cavity’s morphology is modified, thereby increasing the free space for tongue movements in humans. The human temporomandibular joint is comparatively less flat and has a more limited excursive movement range, with structural elements that seem to be lighter. Results: A number of highly significant differences were found between humans and chimpanzees. Materials and Methods: Twenty dry skulls and 20 mandibles of modern Caucasians were compared with 12 dry skulls and 12 mandibles of chimpanzees, with the analysis of 37 variables and the definition of new anatomical parameters. The possible changes have been evaluated by comparing two close species essentially differentiated from each other by spoken language. Objectives: The present study explores the hypothesis that the anatomical bone structures of the oral cavity have probably evolved under the influence of language function. 3Department of Histology and Anatomy, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain.2Department of Physical Medicine, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.1Department of Oral Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.Ambrosio Bermejo-Fenoll 1*† Alfonso Panchón-Ruíz 2† Francisco Sánchez del Campo 3† ![]()
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