The Divination of Dentitions in Evolution

Abstract

Teeth are quintessential elements of evolutionary evidence imposed by ecological niches and determined by dietary demands. By virtue of their postmortem durability, teeth are often the only remaining remnants of long extinct species to provide presumption of their previous paleontological existence. That teeth are intimately associated with dietary intake provides unambiguous evidence of ancient ambient environments and extinct cultural practices. Spectroscopic analysis of enamel and attritional dental wear reveal archaic food composition. Genetic inheritance patterns contained in varying dental configurations reveal permutations of evolutionary trends. Analysis of the preserved mitochondrial DNA of archaic dental pulp tissue of long-deceased antecedents and historical figures of mankind is the current research focus of phylogenetics and evolutionary biology.

The genesis of craniofacial biology as a health science discipline

“…The enormous variety of dentitions, ranging from the haplodont, homodont teeth of sharks to the complex arrangement of cusps and ridges in the teeth of carnivores, graminivores and omnivores reflect adaptations to different diets . The peculiar dentitions of extinct creatures and their odontostomatognathic oddities add to the astounding diversity of craniofacial adaptations to dietary distinctions …”