The physiology of tooth eruption.

Tooth eruption is a complex phenomenon that involves numerous biologic activities of the bone and the soft tissue surrounding teeth. While the exact mechanisms of eruption are not clearly understood, numerous experiments of nature, including many of the inborn errors of metabolism, should prove useful in their study. Nutritional studies may also prove useful, but will always be problematic [56]. Studies on endocrinologic changes such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and diseases such as diabetes, have already shown that the periodontium may not be able to accommodate to changes in the body's equilibrium [51].