The development of craniofacial complex and dental structures is a complex and delicate process guided by specific genetic mechanisms. Genetic and environmental factors can influence the execution of these mechanisms and result in abnormalities. An insight into the mechanisms and genes involved in the development of orofacial and dental structures has gradually gained by pedigree analysis of families and twin studies as well as experimental studies on vertebrate models. The development of novel treatment techniques depends on in-depth knowledge of the various molecular or cellular processes and genes involved in the development of the orofacial complex. This review article focuses on the role of genes in the development of nonsyndromic orofacial, dentofacial variations, malocclusions, excluding cleft lip palate, and the advancements in the field of molecular genetics and its application to obtain better treatment outcomes.
Keywords: dentofacial variations; genes; genetics; malocclusion; polymorphism.
The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).