MORPHOGENESIS OF HUMAN TOOTH PRIMORDIA - THE IMPORTANCE OF 3D COMPUTER-ASSISTED RECONSTRUCTION

Three-dimensional reconstruction of embryological structures from hist ological serial sections is necessary when researching questions conce rning formal development and mutual influences due to neighboring rela tionships. Graphical reconstructions can be performed by personal comp uters, In the present paper the need for 3D-reconstructions is explain ed, and examples showing the development of human dental primordia and their surrounding structures of specimens ranging between 18 and 64 m m CRL are presented. The contour-line plots that are provided by the s oftware HISTOL are graphically reworked to anatomical drawings. Spatia l impediment as one of the factors responsible for development of toot h form is discussed on the basis of the ED-reconstructions.