TOPIC: TOOTH DEVELOPMENT & OSTEOGENESIS REVISION NOTES
👉 Tooth development is a highly organized and complex biological process that starts early in embryonic life. It involves a series of reciprocal interactions between the oral epithelium and the underlying ectomesenchyme, leading to the formation of highly specialized structures — our teeth.
👉 We’ll be focusing on:
The stages of tooth development (initiation, bud, cap, bell, and maturation).
The origin and role of various tissues: enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp.
How this process parallels and integrates with osteogenesis, the formation of alveolar bone.
👉 understanding these stages is crucial for appreciating how developmental disturbances can lead to clinical anomalies in tooth form, number, and structure.
👉 Let’s get started with the initiation stage — the first step in turning a band of epithelial cells into a future tooth!
1. Initiation Stage (6th – 7th week IU life)
🔹First sign: Thickening of oral ectoderm → forms the dental lamina.
🔹Dental lamina connects future teeth buds to the oral epithelium.
