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The Biology Underlying Abnormalities of Tooth Number in Humans
11 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
In past decades, morphologic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms that govern tooth development have been extensively studied. These studies demonstrated that the same signaling pathways regulate development of the primary and successional teeth. Mutations of these pathways lead to abnormalities in tooth development and number, including aberrant tooth shape, tooth agenesis, and formation of extra teeth. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the development of the primary and successional teeth in animal models and describe some of the common tooth abnormalities in humans.
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