Rapid developments in the fields of molecular genetics and genetic modeling, together with advances in the phenotyping of dental features, are leading to improved understanding of the nature and causes of variation within the human dentition, with implications for anthropologists and clinicians. Major advances are occurring in the field of epigenetics and in studies of twins, and these discoveries are adding support to the view that dental development is a complex process that is influenced by a combination of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors.