The effect of shortening incisor teeth on the eruption rates and lenghts of the other incisors in the rat

Abstract

The eruption rates and lengths of all four incisor teeth in rats were measured by recording the position of marks on their labial surfaces at 2-day intervals, using calibrated graticules in microscope eyepieces and ether anaesthesia. When one lower incisor, or both a lower and upper incisor, were unimpeded, the other lower incisor shortened markedly before the next measurement and the uppers slowly lengthened, so that the sum of the lengths of the lower and upper impeded incisors temporarily fell, then returned to control levels. The lower and upper impeded incisors showed temporary accelerations of their eruption when the other incisors were unimpeded. When an upper incisor was unimpeded, the lower incisors lengthened, increasing the sum of the lengths of the lower and upper impeded incisors, and the eruption of the lower and upper impeded incisors was slowed. When there were two impeded incisors in one jaw and only one (left) impeded incisor in the other jaw, the unopposed right impeded incisor tended to be slower and longer than its neighbour and there were significant correlations between the differences in eruption rates and differences in tooth lengths. In all these cases, there are negative relations between eruption and length; increases in length occur with decreases in eruption rate. The simplest explanation for this is that the length changes arise partly from the voluntary behaviour of the rat and also from mechanical problems due to having one impeded incisor in one jaw and two in the other jaw; the length changes cause the eruption-rate changes.