"Growth and Development of Dental and Skeletal Tissue," the subject of the Seventeenth Ross (formerly M and R) Pediatric Research Conference, is essentially a first step in mobilizing the newer studies bearing on the pathogenesis of dental caries. In developing this theme, the conference goes back to fundamental causes. Its discussions deal with the physiologic, anatomic, and pathologic properties of osseous and dental tissue as they evolve through genetic, nutritional, endocrine, anthropologic, and biochemical influences.
There is some discussion of the clinical application of these studies. Paget's disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, osteoporosis, and hyper- and hypo-parathyroidism are briefly discussed. Dental caries, as a clinical entity, naturally has a prominant place in the discussion. Other matters of clinical interest are the identifying of teeth as a specialized form of bone, the concept of bone mineral not as a static stone but as a dynamic system with an important homeostatic function, and the