Fluctuating Genetic Influences at Three Different Stages of Development of Dental Arches: A Complex System

Background/Objectives: The development of dental arches is a complex adaptive system with interactions between genetic and environmental factors. At different developmental stages, the relative contribution of these factors varies. The aims of this project were to identify the longitudinal changes of dental arches in the primary, mixed and permanent dentition stages, using curve fitting methods on serial dental casts, and to investigate the contribution of the genotype to dental arch development. Methods: Longitudinal dental records from 125 monozygotic same-sex twin pairs, 89 dizygotic same-sex twin pairs, and 49 opposite-sex dizygotic twin pairs were used. Standardized model photographs were collected, and key landmarks were digitized. Fourth-order orthogonal polynomials were applied to the Cartesian data. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and structural equation models were developed to analyze the individual polynomial coefficients. The final models employed a genetic simplex framework, enabling the evaluation of how genetic and environmental influences changed over time. These changes were examined both quantitatively (e.g., variations in heritability) and qualitatively (e.g., the influence of different genes at various stages). Results: In the primary dentition, arches were typically parabolic, while in the permanent dentition, they tended to be more square-shaped. Asymmetry made a minor contribution to variation across all stages of development. Genetic analysis revealed that a core group of genes influenced arch shape over time, though their impact varied. Additionally, some genes were specific to certain developmental stages, with their relative contributions differing significantly. Notably, there was evidence of sexual heterogeneity in arch shape, particularly in the permanent dentition. Heritability was consistently high, both at individual developmental stages and throughout the overall developmental process. Conclusions: The degree of genetic influence at each developmental stage was substantial but it fluctuated between the primary, mixed, and permanent dentition stages.