{
  "id": 16664312,
  "title": "Rare gene variants linked to dental differences that shape our smiles",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/rare-gene-variants-linked-to-dental-differences-that-shape-our-smiles",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-26T21:20:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-rare-gene-variants-linked-dental.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Rare variants in a gene involved in early development have been linked to a range of dental differences in people, including missing teeth, unusual tooth shapes and teeth present at birth. By studying changes in the same gene in mice and chickens, researchers have also uncovered clues to how differences in tooth number and shape evolved across species, including how birds may have lost their…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}