Plant processing experiments and use-wear analysis of Tabon Cave artefacts question the intentional character of denticulates in prehistoric Southeast Asia

•Plant splitting creates notches making unretouched flakes look like denticulates.•Ten 39–30,000 year old denticulates from Tabon Cave are by-products of plant splitting instead of intentionally retouched.•The number of intentionally retouched artefacts from Southeast Asia could be lower than previously thought.•These results encourage to rethink the definition of denticulates.