Research on craniofacial genetics and developmental biology: implications for the future of academic dentistry.

The literature of biology abounds in awe-inspiring acts of iridescent genius. Although a law of nature is phrased in abstract language and is itself devoid of passion and sensibility, the history of its discovery may be an epic worthy of Homer, every page of which bears the stamp of the personality of people. Clearly, scientific truth can be defended by dispassionate logic, but its discovery cannot be promoted this way. The human factor in the creative equation is an important aspect. The discovery of the principles that now form the foundation of developmental craniofacial biology is a story of irony and paradox. Although much progress has been made in many scientific endeavors, many questions regarding craniofacial growth and development remain unanswered. One of the main problems encountered in studies of mammalian growth and development, specifically those dealing with developmental craniofacial biology, has been the apparent lack of application of advances in parallel fields of scientific endeavor. The time seems appropriate for commingling clinical problems with the recently acquired principles of cellular, molecular, and developmental biology.