Tooth development involves a series of interactions between the oral epithelium and cranial neural crest-derived mesenchymal cells. These interactions progressively transform the tooth primordia into complex mineralized structures. Cell-cell interactions play complementary roles in allowing plasticity during tooth morphogenesis and stabilization at later stages of epithelial histogenesis. This article reviews the role of cell-cell interactions mediated by adherens junctions formed by cadherins and communicative gap junctions formed by connexins in regulating tooth development.
