Genes for teeth - drawing inference from family data

Abstract

Development of the human dentition, a complex, self-organising system, is underpinned by a series of reiterative steps involving a number of key gene pathways, supplemented by smaller influences of a polygenic background. Modelling familial data of dental phenotypes can help to unravel genetic and environmental influences. This paper presents a review of a number of model-based appraoches that can be usefuly analytically, with a focus on twins, as the familial structure to elaborate genetic complexity. Genetic modelling is methodologically robust, and provides a framework within which to locate evidence of gene effects from modern, high-throughput genotyping approaches. The twin family structure is particularly well-suited to this approach, and provides a number of distinct advantages analytically, particularly in the presence of population stratification.