The editors and the publisher are pleased to present another volume in this series of monographs. The topic of teeth was last reviewed within the framework of this Handbook more than fifty years ago, in 1936, by Josef Lehner and HanDs Plenk of Vienna, who wrote a comprehensive treatise on the subject in volume V 3. / The introduction of new methods (e.g., transmission and scan­ ning electron microscopy, histochemistry, radioautography, element analysis) and progress in dental research have made an update necessary. In present times, characterized by scientific specialization and very rapid progress, it is virtually impossible to find a single individual prepared to review a field of research as large as that of teeth. Consequently. several authors were asked to contribute to the present volume. Originally. the intention was to cover the field in one volume. When it became clear that the material had become too extensive for a single volume, and when some authors were forced by external factors to withdraw from the project, it was decided to publish two volumes. In 1986, the volume Periodontium, written by Hubert E. Schroeder of Zurich. appeared in this series (volume VIS, 418 pages).