Development, Function and Evolution of Teeth

by Edited by Mark F. Teaford , Moya Meredith Smith , Mark W. J. Ferguson

• ISBN13: 9780521033725
• ISBN10: 0521033721
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-02-26
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

In this field there has been an explosion of information generated by scientific research. One of the beneficiaries of this has been the study of morphology, where new techniques and analyses have led to insights into a wide range of topics. Advances in genetics, histology, microstructure, biomechanics and morphometrics have allowed researchers to view teeth from alternative perspectives. However, there has been little communication between researchers in the different fields of dental research. This book brings together overviews on a wide range of dental topics linking genes, molecules and developmental mechanisms within an evolutionary framework. Written by the leading experts in the field, this book will stimulate co-operative research in fields as diverse as paleontology, molecular biology, developmental biology and functional morphology.

Table of Contents

List of contributors

Acknowledgements

Genes, Molecules and Tooth Initiation

Homeobox genes in initiation and shape of teeth during development in mammalian embryos

Return of lost structure in the developmental control of tooth shape

Molecules implicated in odontoblast terminal differentiation and dentinogenesis

Enamel biomineralization: the assembly and disassembly of the protein extracellular organic matrix

Tooth Tissues: Development and Evolution

Evolutionary origins of dentine in the fossil record of early vertebrates: diversity, development and function

Pulpo-dentinal interactions in development and repair of dentine

Prismless enamel in amniotes: terminology, function and evolution

Two different strategies in enamel differentiation: marsupialia versus eutheria

Incremental markings in enamel and dentine: what they can tell us about the way teeth grow

Evolution of Tooth Shape and Dentition

Evolutionary origins of teeth and jaws: developmental models and phylogenetic patterns

Development and evolution of dentition patterns and their genetic basis

Evolution of tooth attachment in lower vertebrates to tetrapods

Tooth replacement patterns in non-mammalian vertebrates

The evolution of tooth shape and tooth function in primates

'Schultz's Rule' and the evolution of tooth emergence and replacement patterns in primates and ungulates

Macrostructure and Function

Developmental plasticity in the dentition of a heterodont polyphyodont fish species

Enamel microporosity and its functional implications

Pathways to functional differentiation in mammalian enamel

Trends in the evolution of molar crown types in ungulate mammals: evidence from the northern hemisphere

Function of postcanine tooth crown shape in mammals

Primate dental functional morphology revisited

Index

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