Perspectives on genetic aspects of dental patterning

Nearly a century of speculation and experimentation has gone into trying to understand the mechanisms that establish the pattern of the differentiated heterodont dentition. Regionally differing qualitative (combinatorial) expression of regulatory genes appears to be involved in this process. Work by our laboratory and others shows that the six members of the mammalian Dlx family of homeobox genes are expressed (a) at multiple times during dental...