歯は脊椎動物の重要な構成要素であり、特に化石研究などには欠かすことのできない器官（体の一部）です。はるか昔から、哺乳類をはじめ魚類、両生類、爬虫類の捕食にかかわる大切な役割を果たしてきた歯。その成り立ちや進化の歴史をたどり、重要性をあらためて見つめ直します。
   

• Presents the story of teeth - from the earliest tooth-bearing fishes hundreds of millions of years ago through amphibians, reptiles and, ultimately, mammals
• Considers the anatomy and variety of teeth and the important role they play
• Explores the variety of tooth forms in living animals
• An ideal introduction to students of zoology, anthropology, and dentistry courses

 
Teeth are amazing - the product of half a billion years of evolution. They provide fuel for the body by breaking apart other living things; and they must do it again and again over a lifetime without themselves being broken in the process. This means that plants and animals have developed tough or hard tissues for protection, and teeth have evolved ways to sharpen or strengthen themselves to overcome those defences. And just as different jobs require different tools, animals with different diets have different shaped teeth to deal with the variety of foods that they eat.
 
In this Very Short Introduction, Peter S. Ungar, an award-winning author and leading scientist, presents the story of teeth. Ungar outlines the key concepts, including insights into the origin of teeth and their evolution. Considering why teeth are important, he describes how they are made, and how they work, including their fundamental importance in the fossil record. Ungar finishes with a review of mammal teeth, looking at how they evolved and how recent changes to our diet are now affecting dental health.