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The maxillary bone and its dental and soft tissue interfaces in newborn primates
Author(s) -
Smith Timothy D,
DeLeon Valerie B
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.449.1
Subject(s) - anatomy , lemur , biology , skull , maxilla , maxillary sinus , dentition , primate , paleontology , neuroscience
Midfacial morphology is strikingly different between higher taxonomic groups of primates. Compared to strepsirrhines (e.g., lemurs), haplorhines (e.g., monkeys, tarsiers) possess a greater magnitude of orbital convergence relating to evolutionary trends in the special senses. To understand the development of this dichotomous morphology, we examined serially sectioned newborn heads of a monkey ( Saguinus sp), tarsier ( Tarsius sp) and lemur ( Eulemur sp). We have characterized the spatial arrangement of the dental sacs and orbitonasal soft tissue matrices relative to the maxilla, and assessed bone cell distribution to identify resorptive and depositional surfaces of the adjacent bone. Position of the dental sacs, infraorbital canal, nasolacrimal duct, and paranasal cavities differs among species. For example, deciduous premolars are positioned relatively laterally in Saguinus compared to other taxa. Regionally, this corresponds to resorption of the medial alveolar wall, a shared boundary with the maxillary sinus. Differences in spatial association of the nasolacrimal canal, infraorbital canal, and maxilla corresponds to species‐specific patterns of bone cell distribution. These phylogenetic variations ultimately relate to major evolutionary trends of soft tissues (e.g., special sense organs) and dentition, and offer unique natural experiments to understand mechanisms of midfacial growth.