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".

Upper Jaw Denition

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

Dentition is important in archaeology. Dentition is used to study human migration. Tooth enamel contains trace elements which show where they grew.

Related pages

• Teeth
• Dental formula

References

• Adovasion J. M. and David Pedler. 2005. The peopling of North America. North American Archaeology. Blackwell, Oxford. 35-36.

Other websites

• Colorado State's dentition page Archived 2006-08-24 at the Wayback Machine