[Tooth and bone research using genetically modified mice]

Teeth and bone are both hard tissues and composed of hydroxyapatite. Tooth development initiates with the invasination of oral epithelium, followed by aggregation of supporting ectomesenchymal cells. From mouse study, numbers of molecules have been discovered to relate tooth development. These discoveries have helped to clarify the responsible genes of human genetic disorders with abnormal tooth number and structure. During tooth development, teeth erupt into the outer environment, oral cavity. From this point, teeth are completely different from bone which is always covered by soft tissues. Tooth eruption is composed of two different processes, that is, eruption pathway formation and vertical tooth movement. In this review, mutant mice with abnormal tooth development and eruption are introduced, and molecular mechanism required for this process is discussed.