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Dentition: Genetic effects
Early Human Development, 0 Elsevier
9 (1984) 291-294
291
Book reviews Dentition: Genetic Effects Ronald J. Jorgenson, ed. March of Dimes, Vol. 19, No. 1 Alan R. Liss Inc., New York, 1983 E32.00 The book reports on the fifth annual symposium of the Society of Craniofacial Genetics held in Birmingham, Alabama, June 1982. These proceedings have been compiled by a number of contributors, many of them experts in the field of paediatric dentistry. The articles confine themselves exclusively to aspects of the dentition. It discusses the special role of the dental clinician who by the very nature of his training in the disciplines of tooth development, eruption and pathology finds himself in the unique position of being able to observe deviations from the norm. For the other health professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects the book attempts to familiarise them with those aspects of human dentition which may help them to recognise abnormalities of development. In spite of the fact that teeth are very sensitive markers of environmental changes during their formative period, very few doctors can recognise these or understand the aetiology of the defects observed. The first part of the book deals with a very basic description of the oral cavity including the soft tissues, bone and teeth. It goes on to describe the evolution and development of the human dentition both from the point of view of form and number as well as the histological and biochemical structure of teeth. The author of this section hopes to promote better understanding of the developmental processes and the role of genetics in their control and so contribute to a more effective awareness of variations in dental development in relation to other developmental defects. Although the chapter makes interesting reading I feel it will be of little relevance to the medical profession. There is a short chapter on tooth eruption with a brief mention of local and systemic factors which may influence this process. After a description of the ideal arrangement of the teeth in the human jaws and the commonest forms of malocclusion seen in western populations the book goes on to discuss anomalies of number and formation of teeth and the roles of genes in the transmission of such defects. Hereditary forms of enamel hypoplasia are described in some detail and there is a brief discussion of hereditary forms of dentine dysplasia. Part 1 ends with a list of syndromes in which dental anomalies occur. The smaller, second part of the book deals with the complex subject of genetic heterogenicity, its implications in prognosis and treatment of genetically induced disease and the understanding of the recurrence risks of the disease entities. Methods of detection past, present and in the future are discussed. It goes on to describe heterogenicity of genetic disorders affecting the mouth and ends with case reports of
292
the Trichorhinophalangeal Syndromes to illustrate how heterogenicity can result in wide variations of expression of clinical features. The book should appeal to a wide spectrum of health professionals. To the dentist to make him aware of the wider implications of what he observes in the mouth and to doctors and geneticists to give them a better concept of normal tooth development and the anomalies that can occur as a result of genetic influence. From that point of view it succeeds in what it set out to do. The second part highlights the areas in which knowledge is still incomplete and points a finger in the direction that future research might move. The nature and size of the book does not lend itself to a comprehensive text on a very complex and sometimes controversial subject. That together with its high price may preclude a wide sale. V.N. WARREN
*
Advances in Infancy Research, Lewis P. Lipsitt, ed. Academic Press, 1982 g29.95
*
*
*
*
Vol. 2
This is the second volume of a regular series. Each chapter is a discussion of a particular area of research by someone currently involved with the topic and links between chapters are not made. Hence interest resides in individual chapters rather than in the book as a whole. This volume is dedicated to Harriet Rheingold and opens with a well-known chapter by her emphasizing the social nature of infancy. The following chapter by Butterworth deals with perceptual and cognitive development. Butterworth takes as his starting point the Piagetian view, and shows how such constructionist views have difficulty encompassing a number of experimental results deriving from a Gibsonian view, where the patterning of stimulation is seen as providing the information of perception. Butterworth does an admirable job using such experiments to produce a coherent post-Piagetian view of the infant’s mind. Fagan and Singer’s chapter proposes with some evidence that infant recognition memory is predictive of future intelligence. This view is reminiscent of previous attempts to link the degree of habituation in infants to the development of intelligence. The simplicity of this idea is both its attraction and its failing. The following chapter by Reznick and Kagan explores the methodological issues involved in the use of dishabituation as a criterion of discrimination. A useful review of visuomotor coordination is given by Lockman and Ashmead, who use data of manual behaviour to illuminate the possible perceptual-motor and cognitive competences underlying such behaviour. Another avenue to understanding
9 (1984) 291-294
291
Book reviews Dentition: Genetic Effects Ronald J. Jorgenson, ed. March of Dimes, Vol. 19, No. 1 Alan R. Liss Inc., New York, 1983 E32.00 The book reports on the fifth annual symposium of the Society of Craniofacial Genetics held in Birmingham, Alabama, June 1982. These proceedings have been compiled by a number of contributors, many of them experts in the field of paediatric dentistry. The articles confine themselves exclusively to aspects of the dentition. It discusses the special role of the dental clinician who by the very nature of his training in the disciplines of tooth development, eruption and pathology finds himself in the unique position of being able to observe deviations from the norm. For the other health professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects the book attempts to familiarise them with those aspects of human dentition which may help them to recognise abnormalities of development. In spite of the fact that teeth are very sensitive markers of environmental changes during their formative period, very few doctors can recognise these or understand the aetiology of the defects observed. The first part of the book deals with a very basic description of the oral cavity including the soft tissues, bone and teeth. It goes on to describe the evolution and development of the human dentition both from the point of view of form and number as well as the histological and biochemical structure of teeth. The author of this section hopes to promote better understanding of the developmental processes and the role of genetics in their control and so contribute to a more effective awareness of variations in dental development in relation to other developmental defects. Although the chapter makes interesting reading I feel it will be of little relevance to the medical profession. There is a short chapter on tooth eruption with a brief mention of local and systemic factors which may influence this process. After a description of the ideal arrangement of the teeth in the human jaws and the commonest forms of malocclusion seen in western populations the book goes on to discuss anomalies of number and formation of teeth and the roles of genes in the transmission of such defects. Hereditary forms of enamel hypoplasia are described in some detail and there is a brief discussion of hereditary forms of dentine dysplasia. Part 1 ends with a list of syndromes in which dental anomalies occur. The smaller, second part of the book deals with the complex subject of genetic heterogenicity, its implications in prognosis and treatment of genetically induced disease and the understanding of the recurrence risks of the disease entities. Methods of detection past, present and in the future are discussed. It goes on to describe heterogenicity of genetic disorders affecting the mouth and ends with case reports of
292
the Trichorhinophalangeal Syndromes to illustrate how heterogenicity can result in wide variations of expression of clinical features. The book should appeal to a wide spectrum of health professionals. To the dentist to make him aware of the wider implications of what he observes in the mouth and to doctors and geneticists to give them a better concept of normal tooth development and the anomalies that can occur as a result of genetic influence. From that point of view it succeeds in what it set out to do. The second part highlights the areas in which knowledge is still incomplete and points a finger in the direction that future research might move. The nature and size of the book does not lend itself to a comprehensive text on a very complex and sometimes controversial subject. That together with its high price may preclude a wide sale. V.N. WARREN
*
Advances in Infancy Research, Lewis P. Lipsitt, ed. Academic Press, 1982 g29.95
*
*
*
*
Vol. 2
This is the second volume of a regular series. Each chapter is a discussion of a particular area of research by someone currently involved with the topic and links between chapters are not made. Hence interest resides in individual chapters rather than in the book as a whole. This volume is dedicated to Harriet Rheingold and opens with a well-known chapter by her emphasizing the social nature of infancy. The following chapter by Butterworth deals with perceptual and cognitive development. Butterworth takes as his starting point the Piagetian view, and shows how such constructionist views have difficulty encompassing a number of experimental results deriving from a Gibsonian view, where the patterning of stimulation is seen as providing the information of perception. Butterworth does an admirable job using such experiments to produce a coherent post-Piagetian view of the infant’s mind. Fagan and Singer’s chapter proposes with some evidence that infant recognition memory is predictive of future intelligence. This view is reminiscent of previous attempts to link the degree of habituation in infants to the development of intelligence. The simplicity of this idea is both its attraction and its failing. The following chapter by Reznick and Kagan explores the methodological issues involved in the use of dishabituation as a criterion of discrimination. A useful review of visuomotor coordination is given by Lockman and Ashmead, who use data of manual behaviour to illuminate the possible perceptual-motor and cognitive competences underlying such behaviour. Another avenue to understanding