Complexity, Networking, and Many-Model Thinking Enhance Understanding of the Patterning, Variation, and Interactions of Human Teeth and Dental Arches
Alan Henry Brook, Matthew Brook O’Donnell · 2023
The chapter begins with a background overview of important conceptual advances in understanding and modelling research findings that can be applied to the knowledge of the variation and patterning of the dentoalveolar complex. The developmental basis of variation is discussed by exploring the process, factors, interactions, and patterning that lead to the variation in the phenotypic outcomes of tooth number, size, and shape. This is followed by similarly considering the formation of dental arches. This leads to examining how the development of these two Complex Adaptive Systems of teeth and dental arches are related and coordinated during development and whether this is through the expression of common genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors or natural selection. Interactions between the developing teeth and dental arches are explored by examining the changes in dental arch morphology associated with variation in tooth number. Possible future evolutionary trends in the dentition and dental arches are considered. The chapter concludes by examining the application of the research concepts and modelling, outlined in the “Background” section, to the findings discussed in subsequent sections. The conclusion is that no one model can encompass the multiple parameters of the complex process of dentoalveolar development: Rather each model adds to understanding.