Histological analysis of post-eruption tooth wear adaptations, and ontogenetic changes in tooth implantation in the acrodontan squamate Pogona vitticeps

Abstract

Teeth have been a focus of research in both extinct and extant taxa alike; a significant portion of dental literature is concerned with dental patterning and replacement. Most non-mammalian vertebrates continuously replace their dentition but an anomalous group of squamates has forgone this process in only having one tooth generation; these squamates all have apically implanted teeth, a condition known as acrodonty. Acrodont dentition and various characteristics attributed to it, including a lack of replacement, have often been defined ambiguously. This study explores this type of implantation through histology in the ontogeny of the acrodont agamid Pogona vitticeps. The non-replacing teeth of this squamate provides an opportunity to study wear adaptations, maintenance of occlusion in a non-mammalian system, and most importantly post-eruption changes in the tooth bone interface. In this study the post-eruption changes combined with dental wear likely gives the appearance of acrodont implantation.