Dental Growth and Development
Koppe T, Meyer G, Alt KW (eds): Comparative Dental Morphology.
Front Oral Biol. Basel, Karger, 2009, vol 13, pp 100–101
Dental Growth and Development: An Introduction
Inger Kjær
Department of Orthodontics School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sections on dental ontogeny are among the tra- and neuro-epithelial interactions. Among others
ditional topics of former International Symposia Lambrichts stressed the fact that the sensory in-
of Dental Morphology. These sections predom- nervation might play a regulatory role in main-
inantly dealt with aspects of dental tissue dif- taining the epithelial rests of Malassez.
ferentiation during tooth development. Even Due to strict page limitation, the current sec-
though information about cell and tissue differ- tion contains a selection of five papers that were
entiation had a great impact on our knowledge of presented in this section on dental growth and
tooth formation, especially also in fossils, it has to development. Nevertheless, they resemble excel-
be considered that teeth develop within the cran- lent approaches in research on dental growth and
iofacial skeleton. Therefore, the current section development.
on dental growth and development was intended In the first paper Zhang’s group explore the
to promote research on dental formation with- effects of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) path-
in the craniofacial complex. One keynote lecture way on both the enamel and dentin mineral-
and two invited talks reflected this broad area of ization in a VDR-deficient mouse model. VDR
research, followed by a number of podium and deficiency resulted in different distribution pat-
poster presentations. terns of enamel and dentin mineral deposition.
Tanya M. Smith (Max Planck Institute for Vitamin D appears to regulate dentin mineral-
Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany) ization indirectly, while having a direct influ-
focused in her keynote lecture on new approach- ence on enamel mineralization. In a continuously
es in the study of incremental dental development erupting mouse incisor, they observed a reduc-
and how this research can help us to interpret tion in dentin mineralization and early enamel
the dental size reduction in Homo during the hypermineralization.
Pleistocene. Karin Binner Bector (University Studies of dental asymmetry can provide in-
Hospital Copenhagen, Denmark) discussed eti- sights into the biological basis of lateralisation in
ological factors behind human tooth eruption humans. The results can also assist clinicians to
based on both clinical and histological informa- discriminate between normal and abnormal de-
tion. Finally, Ivo Lambrichts (Hasselt University velopmental patterns. Based on a large sample
at Diepenbeek, Belgium), lectured on immunohis- of Australian twin pairs Mihailidis and co-work-
tochemical characteristics of neuro-odontoblast ers found evidence for fluctuating asymmetry in
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primary tooth emergence, especially of lateral root length shows considerably intraspecific
incisors. No evidence was found, however, for a variation. Since a number of earlier studies dem-
genetic contribution to fluctuating asymmetry onstrated, among others, a relationship between
in tooth emergence. Even though the results also facial morphology and root length, Cobb and
indicated a tendency toward left-side advance- Baverstock investigate the covariation between
ment for some teeth, there was no statistical evi- tooth root length and the whole craniofacial
dence for directional asymmetry. skeleton using a sophisticated geometric mor-
Growth increments in histological sections are phometrics approach in Pan troglodytes. The
useful markers of tooth formation. While enamel observation of correlation between root length
formation rates of permanent teeth vary from 2.5 variation and facial height rather than length
μm per day at the enamel dentine junction (EDJ) might be due to variation in the eruptive dis-
to 6.5 μm per day, little is known about the growth tance associated with compensatory jaw rota-
rates of deciduous teeth. In the third paper of this tion during development.
section, Birch and Dean report about the enamel In the fifth paper, Kelly and co-workers ex-
formation rates of human mandibular deciduous plore factors underlying the differences in age at
teeth of all tooth types. While the enamel of de- M1 emergence in great apes by studying tooth
ciduous teeth seems to form at a more constant root length variation in mandibles with erupting
rate than in permanent teeth, gradients in secre- first or second molars. These data complement
tion rates between the EDJ and dental surface and existing data on crown and root formation times
cuspal and cervical regions still exist. Most no- as very important life history markers. Kelly and
tably is the observation of Birch and Dean that co-workers observed the longest tooth roots in
true enamel hypoplasia, either associated with Gorilla, followed by Pongo and Pan. They suggest
or without a line, is an equally good measure of that the delay in humans relative to the great apes
stress during deciduous crown formation as well is due at least in part to a relatively longer period
as in permanent crown formation. of root formation, resulting from both a lower av-
Although primates with diets that require erage root extension rate as well as greater root
higher occlusal forces have tooth roots with formation at emergence in humans compared to
significantly larger relative surface areas, tooth great apes.
Prof. Inger Kjær
Department of Orthodontics School of Dentistry
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Copenhagen
Nørre Allé 20
DK--2200 Copenhagen N (Denmark)
Tel. +45 35 32 66 74; E-Mail ik@[Link]
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Dental Growth and Development: An Introduction 101
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