In paleobiology, the presence or absence of the interdental plate can determine the place of an animal in the evolutionary scale, and paleontologists use the interdental plate when trying to classify a new specimen. Thecodont reptiles and theropod dinosaur fossils have an interdental plate, whereas acrodont reptiles such as Sphenodontia do not.
In paleobiology, the existence or non-existence of the interdental plate can establish an animal's position on the evolutionary scale, and paleontologists utilize the interdental plate when categorizing a new specimen. Thecodont reptiles and theropod dinosaur fossils possess an interdental plate, whereas acrodont reptiles like Sphenodontia lack it.