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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

The Slice Culture Method for Following Development of Tooth Germs In Explant Culture
Published on: November 13, 2013
Tooth development: 1. Generating teeth in the embryo
Maisa Seppala1, Maria Zoupa, Obinna Onyekwelu
1Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Development, Floor 22 Guy's Hospital, GKT Dental Institute, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Abstract:
Teeth are organs that develop in the embryo via a series of interactions between oral epithelium and neural crest-derived ectomesenchyme of the early jaws. These interactions are initiated by the regional production of signalling molecules in the oral epithelium and the transfer of information to the underlying mesenchyme via homeobox gene transcription. This article describes how these interactions are co-ordinated in the embryo during development of the dentition and provides a theoretical basis for the second article in this series; understanding how biologists are attempting to generate teeth artificially in the laboratory.
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