Dentition
Dentition is the development of teeth and where the teeth are in the mouth. Almost all mammals have up to four different types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Animals that have different types of teeth are called "heterodont". If they do not, they are called "homodont".
In mammals, the young have a set of primary teeth (milk teeth) that fall out after a few years. When they fall out, adult teeth grow in. Animals that have milk teeth and adult teeth are called diphyodont.
Archaeology
[change | change source]Dentition is important in archaeology. Dentition is used to study human migration. Tooth enamel contains trace elements which show where they grew.
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- Adovasion J. M. and David Pedler. 2005. The peopling of North America. North American Archaeology. Blackwell, Oxford. 35-36.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Colorado State's dentition page Archived 2006-08-24 at the Wayback Machine