The Teeth of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates is the first comprehensive publication devoted to the teeth and dentitions of living fishes, amphibians and reptiles. The book presents a comprehensive survey of the amazing variety of tooth forms among non-mammalian vertebrates, based on descriptions of approximately 400 species belonging to about 160 families. The text is lavishly illustrated with more than 600 high-quality color and monochrome photographs of specimens gathered from top museums and research workers from around the world, supplemented by radiographs and micro-CT images.
This stimulating work discusses the functional morphology of feeding, the attachment of teeth, and the relationship of tooth form to function, with each chapter accompanied by a comprehensive, up-to-date reference list. Following the descriptions of the teeth and dentitions in each class, four chapters review current topics with considerable research activity: tooth development; tooth replacement; and the structure, formation and evolution of the dental hard tissues. This timely book, authored by internationally recognized teachers and researchers in the field, also reflects the resurgence of interest in the dentitions of non-mammalian vertebrates as experimental systems to help understand genetic changes in evolution of teeth and jaws.
- Features more than 600 images, including numerous high-quality photographs from internationally-recognized researchers and world class collections
- Offers guidance on tooth morphology for classification and evolution of vertebrates
- Provides detailed coverage of the dentition of all living groups of non-mammalian vertebrates
Dr Barry KB Berkovitz qualified in Dental Surgery at the Royal Dental Hospital in London in 1962. There soon followed three years of postgraduate research at Royal Holloway College London. Between 1966 and 2004 his time was equally divided between teaching Gross Anatomy and Dental Anatomy, first at the University of Bristol and later at King’s College London. He is the author of numerous books and scientific papers, many related to comparative dental anatomy. His well-known textbook ‘Oral Anatomy, Histology and Embryology ‘ by BKB Berkovitz, GR Holland and BJ Moxham is now reaching its 5th edition, while his most recent popular science book is entitled ‘Nothing but the Tooth’.
Dr R Peter Shellis graduated from Birmingham University (BSc in Zoology and Comparative Physiology, 1966, MSc in Radiobiology, 1967). From 1968 to 1972 he worked with Prof AEW Miles at the London Hospital Medical College on the development of teeth in fishes. From 1972 to 1998 Dr Shellis worked on dental caries for the Medical Research Council in Bristol, also publishing research on comparative dental anatomy, particularly on primate tooth structure. Later, he worked with Prof M Addy (Bristol) and Prof A Lussi (Bern) on dental erosion and was Editor-in-Chief of Caries Research (2000-2009). Dr Shellis won the Colgate-Palmolive Prize (British Society for Dental Resarch) in 1981 and the ORCA Prize (European Organization for Caries Research: ORCA) in 2011. He is an Honorary Member of ORCA since 2010.
