Count Me in, Count Me out: Regulation of the Tooth Number via Three Directional Developmental Patterns.

Tooth number anomalies, including hyperdontia and hypodontia, are common congenital dental problems in the dental clinic. The precise number of teeth in a dentition is essential for proper speech, mastication, and aesthetics. Teeth are ectodermal organs that develop from the interaction of a thickened epithelium (dental placode) with the neural-crest-derived ectomesenchyme.

Characterising the Effect of Wnt/β-Catenin Signalling on Melanocyte Development and Patterning: Insights from Zebrafish ().

Zebrafish () is a well-established model organism for studying melanocyte biology due to its remarkable similarity to humans. The Wnt signalling pathway is a conserved signal transduction pathway that plays a crucial role in embryonic development and regulates many aspects of the melanocyte lineage. Our study was designed to investigate the effect of Wnt signalling activity on zebrafish melanocyte development and patterning.

Divergent tooth development mechanisms of Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) of Pachón cave origin.

The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is one of the fresh water teleost fish models in evolutionary developmental biology. The existence of two morphs: eyed, pigmented surface fish and blind depigmented cavefish from multiple cave populations, provides a unique system to study adaptive radiation. Compared to the adult surface fish, cavefish have large oral jaws with an increased number of structurally-complex teeth.

Effect of Embryonic Alcohol Exposure on Craniofacial and Skin Melanocyte Development: Insights from Zebrafish ().

Alcohol is a common addictive substance and prenatal alcohol exposure could cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and can lead to various birth defects. The small teleost zebrafish () has been identified as a fine animal model in developmental biology and toxicological research. Zebrafish models are widely used to study the harmful effects of alcohol and limited studies are available on the craniofacial and skin malformations associated with FASD.

Extraoral expression and characterization of bitter taste receptors in (Mexican tetra fish).

The chemical senses of olfaction and taste are well developed in fish and play a vital role in its various activities such as navigation, mate recognition, and food detection. The small teleost fish consists of interfertile river-dwelling and cave-dwelling populations, referred to as "surface fish" and "cavefish" respectively. An important anatomical feature of cavefish is the lack of eyes leading them to be referred to as blind fish and suggesting an enhanced functional role for other senses such as taste.

Role of Maternal Infections and Inflammatory Responses on Craniofacial Development.

Pregnancy is a tightly regulated immunological state. Mild environmental perturbations can affect the developing fetus significantly. Infections can elicit severe immunological cascades in the mother's body as well as the developing fetus.

Oral Mucosa, Saliva, and COVID-19 Infection in Oral Health Care.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has shaken the globe with an ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 and has set challenges to every corner of the modern health care setting. The oral mucosa and saliva are high risk sites for higher viral loads and dental health care professionals are considered a high risk group. COVID-19-induced oral lesions and loss of taste and smell are common clinical complaints in the dental health care setting.