Open wide: a fascinating look at teeth – in pictures

The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates is the first comprehensive publication devoted to the teeth and dentitions of living fishes, amphibians and reptiles. With a growing interest in the subject from dentists and scientists alike, the publication presents a comprehensive survey of the amazing variety of tooth forms among non-mammalian vertebrates, based on descriptions of approximately 400 species belonging to about 160 families.

There has recently been a resurgence of interest in comparative dental anatomy. Classically, the teeth demonstrate clearly how form is related to function and the non-mammalian vertebrates provide a dazzling array of examples, especially among fish and lizards.  Many non-mammalian vertebrates, including sharks bony fishes, amphibians, lizards and snakes, are now used as models in intensive studies of the relationships between genetics, development and evolution (evo-devo).

The text is lavishly illustrated with more than 600 high-quality colour and monochrome photographs of specimens gathered from top museums and research workers from around the world, supplemented by radiographs and micro-CT images.

A selection of some of the images from the text book can be viewed on the Guardian website here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2017/feb/27/open-wide-a-fascinating-look-at-teeth-in-pictures

Barry Berkovitz is Emeritus Reader in Dental Anatomy, King’s College London, United Kingdom. The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates is founded on knowledge acquired over 40 years of teaching and research experience.