tooth eruption: a “neuromuscular theory”. part one

objective : tooth eruption has been a subject of extensive scientific studies; and literature is replete with different mechanisms of migration of a tooth from its bony crypt into the oral cavity. however, there is no common ground on the nature and source of the propelling force among the proponents of these theories. the purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of unifying the currently accepted mechanisms of tooth eruption under single theory. materials and methods : a detailed and systematic analysis, synthesis and integration of the findings from relevant scientific studies on mechanisms of tooth eruption were conducted using search engines such as medline and pubmed. during the search, phrases such as “tooth eruption”, “tooth eruption theories”, “tooth eruption and neuromuscular system”, “mechanosensation and mechanotransduction” were used. scholarly published articles on tooth eruption process from 1940 to 2015 were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. results : the findings from these relevant scientific studies clearly showed a common factor – a propelling force during the different phases of tooth eruption. this propelling force has been explained in terms of piezoelectricity, mechanosensation, mechanotransduction, biomechanical, biochemical, cellular, molecular and enzymic activities involving the jaws and other facial bones during eruption of the developing tooth. conclusion : “neuromuscular theory of tooth eruption” or “unification theory of tooth eruption” is based on neuromuscular forces, arising from muscular contractions in the orofacial region. these neuromuscular forces are being proposed as the origin of the propelling force during the different phases of tooth eruption process. key words : mechanosensation, mechanotransduction, neuromuscular, theory, tooth eruption.