Principles of the Organization the Dental System of Recent Mammals

Despite the long history of studying the dental system of recent mammals, there are still a number of unresolved problems, including insufficient attention paid to the general patterns of the relative position of different categories of teeth, as well as the patterns of their reduction. A comparative analysis of the morphology of the dental system of all recent orders of mammals, with the exception of Cetacea, was carried out. The organization of the dental system of Marsupialia and Placentalia was studied based on the occlusal contact of all categories of teeth in connection with their function and type of nutrition. Three basic principles (rules) of the organization of the mammals dental system have been formulated.