Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic book cover

Jaws Summary

The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich
3.75(1660 Reviews)

Jaws Summary Overview

"Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic" reveals how modern lifestyles have created a silent crisis of narrowed jaws affecting sleep, cognition, and overall health. Endorsed by health professionals worldwide, this eye-opening work challenges conventional orthodontics. Could your breathing habits be undermining your wellbeing?

Key Themes in the Jaws Summary

  • jaw development
  • evolutionary medicine
  • oral posture
  • modern malocclusion
  • airway health

Best Quotes from the Jaws Summary

  • The way we eat has fundamentally altered how our faces develop.

  • I never saw a mule with horses' teeth and a donkeys' jaw.

  • Humans developed aesthetic preferences after the Great Leap Forward.

  • Our jaws evolved for a Stone Age diet but exist in what might be called a Big Mac environment.

  • A child's oral posture determines facial growth direction, ultimate shape, and attractiveness.

Characters in the Jaws Summary

  • Sandra KahnAuthor and expert on jaw health and development
  • Paul R. EhrlichAuthor and evolutionary biologist
  • George Catlin19th-century artist who documented oral health
  • Robert CorrucciniResearcher who studied diet and jaw development
  • Weston PriceResearcher of indigenous diets and dental health

About the Author

About the Author of Jaws

Sandra Kahn, an orthodontist in private practice, and Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University’s Bing Professor of Population Studies Emeritus, co-authored Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic, a groundbreaking exploration of modern jaw maldevelopment and its public health implications.

Kahn brings decades of clinical expertise in orthodontics and craniofacial development, while Ehrlich, renowned for his seminal work The Population Bomb and ecological research, lends his interdisciplinary perspective on human-environment interactions.

The book merges anthropology, evolutionary biology, and public health to argue that processed diets, poor oral posture, and environmental factors drive a global epidemic of undersized jaws linked to sleep apnea, ADHD, and cardiovascular risks. Ehrlich, a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and author of over 50 books including The Dominant Animal and Humanity on a Tightrope, partners with Kahn to challenge conventional orthodontic approaches.

Their collaboration has been endorsed by leading researchers and clinicians, with the book becoming a critical resource for parents and health professionals. Translated into multiple languages, Jaws continues to spark international dialogue on preventative healthcare and evolutionary mismatch.

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