Originally it was known from only one specimen, but 189 new finds in the years immediately preceding 2006 made a detailed description possible. () As a result, "Odontogriphus" has become prominent in the debate that has gone on since 1990 about the evolutionary origins of molluscs, annelid worms and brachiopods. It is thought that "Odontogriphus"’s feeding apparatus, which is "nearly identical" to "Wiwaxia"’s, is an early version of the molluscan radula, a chitinous "tongue" that bears multiple rows of rasping teeth. Hence "Odontogriphus" and "Wiwaxia" are often classified as closely related to true molluscs.