Development, Function and Evolution of Teeth

Development, Function and Evolution of Teeth
Author: Mark F. Teaford
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2007-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1139429221

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.

Mammal Teeth

Mammal Teeth
Author: Peter S. Ungar
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2010-10-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0801899516

Winner, 2010 PROSE Award for Excellence in the Biological Sciences. Professional and Scholarly Publishing division of the Association of American Publishers In this unique book, Peter S. Ungar tells the story of mammalian teeth from their origin through their evolution to their current diversity. Mammal Teeth traces the evolutionary history of teeth, beginning with the very first mineralized vertebrate structures half a billion years ago. Ungar describes how the simple conical tooth of early vertebrates became the molars, incisors, and other forms we see in mammals today. Evolutionary adaptations changed pointy teeth into flatter ones, with specialized shapes designed to complement the corresponding jaw. Ungar explains tooth structure and function in the context of nutritional needs. The myriad tooth shapes produced by evolution offer different solutions to the fundamental problem of how to squeeze as many nutrients as possible out of foods. The book also highlights Ungar's own path-breaking studies that show how microwear analysis can help us understand ancient diets. The final part of the book provides an in-depth examination of mammalian teeth today, surveying all orders in the class, family by family. Ungar describes some of the more bizarre teeth, such as tusks, and the mammal diversity that accompanies these morphological wonders. Mammal Teeth captures the evolution of mammals, including humans, through the prism of dental change. Synthesizing decades of research, Ungar reveals the interconnections among mammal diet, dentition, and evolution. His book is a must-read for paleontologists, mammalogists, and anthropologists.

The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates

The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates
Author: Barry Berkovitz
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2018-08-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 012802819X

"The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates is an important reference for researchers in dentistry, comparative morphology, anthropology, and vertebrate palaeontology, and those with an interest in exploring and understanding diversity. The book provides a comprehensive and informed analysis of mammalian dentitions and highlights the importance of teeth as drivers and mirrors of evolution and diversity." - Journal of Anatomy The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates presents a comprehensive survey of mammalian dentitions that is based on material gathered from museums and research workers from around the world. The teeth are major factors in the success of mammals, and knowledge of tooth form and function is essential in mammalian biology. Illustrated with high-quality color photographs of skulls and dentitions, together with X-rays, CT images and histology, this book reveals the tremendous variety of tooth form and structure in mammals. Written by two internationally-recognized experts in dental anatomy, the book provides an up-to-date account of how teeth are adapted to acquiring and processing food. With its companion volume, this book provides a complete survey of the teeth of vertebrates. It is the ideal resource for students and researchers in zoology, biology, anthropology, archaeology and dentistry. - Provides a comprehensive account of mammalian dentitions, together with helpful reading lists - Illustrated by 900 high-quality photographs, X-rays, CT scans and histological images from leading researchers and world class museum collection - Depicts lateral and occlusal views of the skull and dentition, which conveys a much greater level of morphological detail than line drawings - Contains clear-and-concise, up-to-date reviews of the structure and properties of dental tissues, especially the enamel and tooth support system, both of which play vital roles in the functioning of the mammalian dentition

Dental Functional Morphology

Dental Functional Morphology
Author: Peter W. Lucas
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2004-06-03
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780521562362

Dental Functional Morphology offers an alternative to the received wisdom that teeth merely crush, cut, shear or grind food and shows how teeth adapt to diet. Providing an analysis of tooth action based on an understanding of how food particles break, it shows how tooth form from the earliest mammals to modern-day humans can be understood using very basic considerations about fracture. It outlines the theoretical basis step by step, explaining the factors governing tooth shape and size and provides an allometric analysis that will revolutionize attitudes to the evolution of the human face and the impact of cooked foods on our dentition. In addition, the basis of the mechanics behind the fracture of different types of food, and methods of measurement are given in an easy-to-use appendix. It will be an important sourcebook for physical anthropologists, dental and food scientists, palaeontologists and those interested in feeding ecology.

The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates

The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates
Author: Barry Berkovitz
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2016-10-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 012802884X

The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates is the first comprehensive publication devoted to the teeth and dentitions of living fishes, amphibians and reptiles. The book presents a comprehensive survey of the amazing variety of tooth forms among non-mammalian vertebrates, based on descriptions of approximately 400 species belonging to about 160 families. The text is lavishly illustrated with more than 600 high-quality color and monochrome photographs of specimens gathered from top museums and research workers from around the world, supplemented by radiographs and micro-CT images. This stimulating work discusses the functional morphology of feeding, the attachment of teeth, and the relationship of tooth form to function, with each chapter accompanied by a comprehensive, up-to-date reference list. Following the descriptions of the teeth and dentitions in each class, four chapters review current topics with considerable research activity: tooth development; tooth replacement; and the structure, formation and evolution of the dental hard tissues. This timely book, authored by internationally recognized teachers and researchers in the field, also reflects the resurgence of interest in the dentitions of non-mammalian vertebrates as experimental systems to help understand genetic changes in evolution of teeth and jaws. - Features more than 600 images, including numerous high-quality photographs from internationally-recognized researchers and world class collections - Offers guidance on tooth morphology for classification and evolution of vertebrates - Provides detailed coverage of the dentition of all living groups of non-mammalian vertebrates

Evolution's Bite

Evolution's Bite
Author: Peter S. Ungar
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2018-12-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691182833

Whether we realize it or not, we carry in our mouths the legacy of our evolution. Our teeth are like living fossils that can be studied and compared to those of our ancestors to teach us how we became human. In Evolution’s Bite, noted paleoanthropologist Peter Ungar brings together for the first time cutting-edge advances in understanding human evolution with new approaches to uncovering dietary clues from fossil teeth. The result is a remarkable investigation into the ways that teeth—their shape, chemistry, and wear—reveal how we came to be. Traveling the four corners of the globe and combining scientific breakthroughs with vivid narrative, Evolution’s Bite presents a unique dental perspective on our astonishing human development.

Dental Biomechanics

Dental Biomechanics
Author: Arturo N. Natali
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2003-04-24
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 020351484X

Dental Biomechanics provides a comprehensive, timely, and wide-reaching survey of the relevant aspects of biomechanical investigation within the dental field. Leading the reader through the mechanical analysis of dental problems in dental implants, orthodontics, and natural tooth mechanics, this book covers an increasingly important and popular sub

Evolutionary Relationships among Rodents

Evolutionary Relationships among Rodents
Author: W. Patrick Luckett
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 720
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1489905391

The order Rodentia is the most abundant and successful group of mammals, and it has been a focal point of attention for compar ative and evolutionary biologists for many years. In addition, rodents are the most commonly used experimental mammals for bio medical research, and they have played a central role in investi gations of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of speciation in mammals. During recent decades, a tremendous amount of new data from various aspects of the biology of living and fossil rodents has been accumulated by specialists from different disciplines, ranging from molecular biology to paleontology. Paradoxically, our understanding of the possible evolutionary relationships among different rodent families, as well as the possible affinities of rodents with other eutherian mammals, has not kept pace with this information "explosion. " This abundance of new biological data has not been incorporated into a broad synthesis of rodent phylo geny, in part because of the difficulty for any single student of rodent evolution to evaluate the phylogenetic significance of new findings from such diverse disciplines as paleontology, embryology, comparative anatomy, molecular biology, and cytogenetics. The origin and subsequent radiation of the order Rodentia were based primarily on the acquisition of a key character complex: specializations of the incisors, cheek teeth, and associated mus culoskeletal features of the jaws and skull for gnawing and chewing.

The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth

The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth
Author: G. Richard Scott
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2018-03-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1316805719

All humans share certain components of tooth structure, but show variation in size and morphology around this shared pattern. This book presents a worldwide synthesis of the global variation in tooth morphology in recent populations. Research has advanced on many fronts since the publication of the first edition, which has become a seminal work on the subject. This revised and updated edition introduces new ideas in dental genetics and ontogeny and summarizes major historical problems addressed by dental morphology. The detailed descriptions of 29 dental variables are fully updated with current data and include details of a new web-based application for using crown and root morphology to evaluate ancestry in forensic cases. A new chapter describes what constitutes a modern human dentition in the context of the hominin fossil record.