Dental Terminology of the Permanent Dentition

Question 1

Which teeth are considered anterior teeth and which are considered posterior?

Answer 1

Anterior teeth are the teeth with an anterior surface that makes contact with the lips

Question 2

When is palatal used and when is lingual used?

Answer 2

Palatal in maxillary teeth on the inside and lingual in mandibular teeth on the inside.

Question 3

What is the difference between buccal and labial?

Answer 3

Buccal refers to the part of the posterior teeth contacting the cheek and labial the lips.

Question 4

How is the crown divided for descriptive purposes?

Answer 4

Horizontally it goes from mesial -> middle -> distal

Vertically it goes from occlusal -> middle -> cervical

Question 5

What are the categories of traits that can be used to distinguish teeth?

Answer 5

Set traits distinguish primary dentition from permanent dentition

Arch traits distinguish maxillary from mandibular teeth

Class traits distinguish the categories of teeth

Type traits distinguish different teeth within one class