Types of dentition

thumb|335px|Cast of a human upper jaw showing incisors, canines, [[premolars, and two of the three possible pairs of molars.]]

thumb|Tooth shape changes within the jaw (homodont to heterodont). Scanning electron microscope|SEMs of adult lower jaws. (A) Homodont unicuspid snake, [[Python molurus, (B) homodont gecko, Paroedura picta, (C) homodont tricuspid Monitor lizard, Varanus niloticus, (D) heterodont anole, Anolis allisoni. (D′) Tricuspid teeth of the posterior jaw at the back of the mouth. (D″) Unicuspid teeth of the anterior jaw at the front of the mouth. Scale bar = 1 mm (A–D) and 200 μm (D′,D″).]]

A diphyodont is any animal with two sets of teeth, initially the deciduous set and consecutively the permanent set. Most mammals are diphyodonts—as to chew their food they need a strong, durable and complete set of teeth.

thumb | right|Horse teeth Hypsodont is a pattern of dentition characterized by with high crowns, providing extra material for wear. Examples of animals with hypsodont dentition are cattle, horses, and deer. These animals will pick up gritty, fibrous material such as dirt into their mouth while grazing grass, and thus wear down their dentition more quickly than a select diet. The opposite condition is called brachydont.

thumb|300px|Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) A polyphyodont is any animal whose teeth are continually replaced. In contrast, diphyodonts are characterized by having only two successive sets of teeth.

descriptions of two alleged types of human dentiture, sometimes used in racialist/racist theories