Dinosaur tooth

[citation needed] Previous work on long bone histology revealed differences in the growth patterns of polar dinosaurs,[2] identified a case of dwarfism in Europasaurus,[3] reconstructed the life history of Dysalotosaurus by examining multiple specimens of different ontogenetic stages,[4] and suggested that Psittacosaurus underwent a postural change from a quadruped to biped as it matured.

[5] By contrast, dental histology has not been looked at in great detail in dinosaurs until more recently and there has been an increase in interest in this particular sub-field.

While non-destructive means of analysis are sometimes possible through the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or micro computed tomography, much anatomical information is difficult to obtain without creating thin sections.

[6][7] Histological study is microscopic examination, essential to revealing the most important aspects of dinosaur dental anatomy.

[6] The resulting slice is attached to a slide and ground down, then polished, until it is thin enough, with a suitable surface to be examined with a microscope.

There are generally 5 tissue types present in dinosaurs, and these have been found to be identical to those of their closest living non-avian relatives, the crocodilians.

[6][12] In mammals, thecodonty is associated with dental occlusion while in crocodilians it has been proposed as a means to reduce stresses from bite forces.

[6] One of the most complex dentition found in dinosaurs are the dental batteries present in hadrosaurs (whose members were dominant species across the planet), Neoceratopsia (for example, Triceratops), and Rebbachisauridae.

While other dinosaurs, such as some ceratopsians and sauropods, also possessed dental batteries, they all evolved independently and differ in some form or function from those of hadrosaurs.