Tooth Morphology 1

Question 1

What is the palatal region of the mouth?

Answer 1

Surface of the maxillary tooth which faces the palate

Question 2

What is the lingual region of the mouth?

Answer 2

Surface of the mandibular tooth which faces the tongue

Question 3

What is the labial region of the mouth?

Answer 3

Surface of the incisors and canines facing the lips

Question 4

What is the buccal region of the mouth?

Answer 4

Surface of the pre molars and molars facing the cheek

Question 5

What is mesial in terms of the oral cavity?

Answer 5

Surface of the tooth which faces towards the midline of the dental arch

Question 6

What is distal in terms of the oral cavity?

Answer 6

Surface of the tooth which faces away from the midline of the dental arch

Question 7

What is the occlusal surface of a tooth?

Answer 7

The biting surface of a molar or premolar

Question 8

What is the incisal margin of a tooth?

Answer 8

The cutting edge of an incisor or canine

Question 9

What is a cusp?

Answer 9

Pronounced elevation on the occlusal surface of a tooth

Question 10

What is a tubercle?

Answer 10

A small elevation on the crown of a tooth

Question 11

What is the cervical margin?

Answer 11

Surface above the junction of the crown and root

Question 12

What is cingulum?

Answer 12

A bulbous convexity near the cervical region of a tooth

Question 13

What is a ridge?

Answer 13

Any linear elevation on the tooth surface

Question 14

What is a marginal ridge?

Answer 14

A ridge at the mesial or distal edge of the occlusal surfaces of molar and premolars

Question 15

What is a fissure?

Answer 15

A long cleft between cusps or ridges

Question 16

What is a fossa?

Answer 16

A rounded depression on a tooth’s surface

Question 17

What are contact points?

Answer 17

Distal surface of one tooth abuts firmly to the mesial surface of the adjacent tooth

Question 18

What maintains contact points?

Answer 18

Mesial drift

Question 19

What is mesial drift?

Answer 19

The tendency for teeth to move in a mesial direction

Question 20

What can occur if contact points are lost?

Answer 20

Food can become impacted between teeth

Question 21

What is the importance of marginal ridges?

Answer 21

Push food into occlusal surfaces

Question 22

What 3 things cause variation in tooth morphology?

Answer 22

1. Age
2. Disease
3. Developmental anomalies or defects

Question 23

What 4 tooth morphology variations occur with age?

Answer 23

1. Attrition on tooth surface
2. Receding gingiva
3. Cementum thickness increases
4. Teeth become darker in colour

Question 24

What is an example of a local disease of the oral cavity?

Answer 24

Caries

Question 25

What is a neonatal line?

Answer 25

Line left on a tooth due to serious disease during tooth development

Question 26

What are 5 developmental defects of the oral cavity?

Answer 26

1. Number of teeth 2. Size of teeth 3. Fusion of teeth 4. Transportation of teeth 5. Root morphology

Question 27

What are 3 ways the number of teeth in the oral cavity can be affected?

Answer 27

1. Hypodontia 2. Anodontia 3. Hyperdontia

Question 28

What is hypodontia?

Answer 28

When one or more teeth fail to develop

Question 29

What 3 teeth are most likely to be affected by hypodontia?

Answer 29

1. Lateral incisors 2. Pre molars 3. Molars

Question 30

What is anodontia?

Answer 30

Rare congenital disorder where all teeth are missing

Question 31

What is hyperdontia?

Answer 31

Additional teeth are found in the dental arch

Question 32

Where are extra teeth usually found in the dental arch?

Answer 32

Midline between upper central incisors

Question 33

What is the main issue with hyperdontia?

Answer 33

Extra teeth may obstruct the eruption pathway of permanent central incisors

Question 34

What are 2 ways the size of teeth in the oral cavity can be affected?

Answer 34

1. Microdontia - Unusually small teeth | 2. Macrodontia - Unusually large teeth

Question 35

What Is a germinated tooth?

Answer 35

When the enamel organ partially divides during tooth development to give 2 crowns on a tooth instead of 1

Question 36

What is the transposition of teeth?

Answer 36

Positional interchange of 2 adjacent teeth

Question 37

Where are 2 locations which transportation of teeth most likely occur?

Answer 37

1. Permanent maxillary canine transposed with first premolar | 2. Permanent mandibular canine transposed with lateral incisor

Question 38

What are 4 ways root morphology can be variant?

Answer 38

1. Unduly curvatures 2. Thickened at apex 3. Concrescence 4. Unusually long roots

Question 39

What causes a root to thicken at the apex?

Answer 39

Hypercementosis

Question 40

What is concrescence?

Answer 40

Roots of adjacent teeth become joined by cementum

Question 41

What are 2 clinical points with regards to long roots?

Answer 41

1. Root apices of maxillary teeth could invaginate the maxillary sinus 2. Roots of permanent 3rd mandibular molars may be in close relationship with inferior alveolar nerve