摘要牙齿发育是一个由来源于外胚层的上皮和颅神经嵴细胞衍生的间充质在时空上有序、精准互作的复杂过程。这一过程不仅依赖于细胞自身基因调控，还涉及细胞与周围环境不同类型细胞的密切相互作用。然而即使在同一类型的细胞群体中，也可能呈现出显著的细胞异质性。单细胞转录组测序是针对分离的单个细胞转录组进行测序的新技术。转录组是连接基因组遗传信息与生物功能蛋白质组的必然纽带，对转录组的解析扩展到单细胞水平，有利于对细胞异质性、器官发育轨迹的理解，为阐明复杂生物学过程并发现潜在治疗靶点提供有力的工具。本综述主要讨论单细胞转录组测序技术在牙齿发育过程中的最新进展，为牙齿修复与再生研究提供新的见解和帮助。

abstractsTooth development is a complex process of the orderly interaction between epithelium originating from the ectoderm and mesenchyme derived from cranial neural crest cells, which not only depends on cell genes regulatory network but also involves crosstalk between cells and their surrounding environment. Even within the same type of cellular populations, obvious heterogeneity may be observed. Single-cell RNA sequencing is a novel technology aimed at sequencing the transcriptome of individual cell. As a critical bridge linking genetic information from the genome to the functional proteome, transcriptome analysis at the single-cell level enables a deeper understanding of cellular heterogeneity and organ developmental trajectories. This approach provides a powerful tool for elucidating complex biological processes and identifying potential therapeutic targets. Here, we summarize the latest advances in employing single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to the process of tooth development, which will help provide insights into a better understanding of prosthodontics and regeneration.