[Dissertation 25 years later, part 2. Development of teeth and odontogenic tumors, now and then]

Processes playing a role in normal odontogenesis may also occur in development of odontogenic tumours. Studying odontogenesis may shed new light on the pathogenesis of odontogenic tumours and studying odontogenic tumours may do the same for understanding normal odontogenesis. An overview is given on the developments in this field since the last 25 years. Analysis of protein and gene expression have deepened the understanding of mechanisms playing a role in odontogenesis but thus far has not contributed very much to the knowledge on the pathogenesis of odontogenic tumours.