Pleurodont Explained

Pleurodont is a form of tooth implantation common in reptiles of the order Squamata, as well as in at least one temnospondyl.^[1] The labial (cheek) side of pleurodont teeth are fused (ankylosed) to the inner surface of the jaw bones which host them. The lingual (tongue) side of pleurodont teeth are not attached to bone, and instead are typically held in place by connective ligaments. This contrasts with thecodont implantation, in which the teeth are set in sockets and surrounded by bone on all sides.^{[2] [3] [4]}

External links

• Tooth Implantation at palaeos.com
• Oral Cavity of Reptiles - Anatomy and Physiology

Notes and References

1. A giant brachyopoid temnospondyl from the Upper Triassic or Lower Jurassic of Lesotho . ResearchGate. 10.2113/176.3.243 . 2005 . Damiani . Ross . Steyer . J. SéBastien . Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France . 176 . 3 . 243–248 .
2. Plough, F. H. et al. (2002) Vertebrate Life, 6th Ed. Prentice Hall Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.
3. Hobart M. Smith . Evolutionary Lines in Tooth Attachment and Replacement in Reptiles: Their Possible Significance in Mammalian Dentition . Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science . 61 . 215–225 . 1958 . 10.2307/3626649. 3626649 . Smith . Hobart M. . 2 .
4. Web site: THE TEETH OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS . University of the Cumberlands . 2016-08-16 .