DENTAL ANATOMY

1st Semester 2008/2009 Academic Year

Department of Stomatology
School of Stomatology
Wenzhou Medical College
Morphology of
Premolars
Kevin Yang
Li Hong-qing
 SECTION 1 OVERVIEW
 Objectives
 Describe the functions of premolars

 List class traits common to all premolars

 List arch traits that can be used to distinguish

maxillary from mandibular premolars
A General description of premolars

 What’s premolar ?
 Pre- loanword from Latin, where it meant
“before”; applied freely as a prefix, with the
meanings “prior to,” “early,” “beforehand,”
“before,” “in front of,” etc.
 Any tooth in the permanent dentition that
replaces a primary molar.
 Locations and numbers
B Functions of premolars
 Mastication of food
 Maintain the vertical dimension of the face
 Shearing or cutting food (first premolar)
 Support the corners of the mouth and
cheeks
C Class traits of premolars
 Class traits similar to anterior teeth
 Number of development lobes
Tooth name Cusps Lobes
Max.1 pre 2 3+1=4
Max.2 pre 2 3+1=4
Mandi.1 pre 2 3+1=4
Mandi.2 pre 2 or 3 4 or 5
 Crowns taper toward the cervical
 Widest proximal heights of contour
 Cervical lines
 Proximal view
 Buccal or lingual view

 Root shape
 Roots taper apically
 Apical third bends distally
 Class traits that differ from anterior teeth
 Tooth surface terminology
posterior anterior
buccal labial
occlusal surface occlusal edge
cusps\ridges\groo cingulum
ves

 Occlusal cusps versus incisal edges

 1 buccal cusp 1 lingual cusp ( EXCEPTION)
 Marginal ridges
 Oriented in a horizontal plane (<45°)
 ( EXCEPTION) (=45°)

 Crown and root length

 Crowns: shorter than anterior teeth
 Roots: < canines, >=incisors

 1st premolars vs 2nd premolars: 1st pre crowns

longer but roots shorter
 Height (crest) of contour
 Facial height of contour: cervical third
 Lingual height of contour: middle third
 Other class traits characteristic of most
premolars
 Buccal view
 Crown outline shape: five-sided pentagon
 Contact areas: distal contacts are more cervical
than mesial contacts (EXCEPTION)
 Cusp ridges size: buccal cusp is slightly mesial
(EXCEPTION)
 Lingual view
 Crown shape: narrower than buccal side
(EXCEPTION)
 Proximal views
 Mesial marginal ridges are more occlusal than
distal marginal ridges
 Occlusal view
 Tooth proportions: faciallingual dimension wider
than mesiodistal dimension
 Ridges bound occlusal table: cusp ridges and
marginal ridges
 Transverse ridges: triangular ridges (EXCEPTION)

 Grooves and fossae: mesialdistally from mesial

fossa to distal fossa (EXCEPTION)
D Arch traits that differentiate
maxillary from mandibular
premolars
 Relative shape and size
 The maxillary premolars look more alike than
the mandibular premolars
 Lingual crown tilt in mandibular premolars
 Tilt lingually relative to the roots
 Fit & function both beneath and lingual to the
maxillary buccal cusps
 Cusp size and location
 Difference of cusps
 Distal crown tilt on mandibular premolars
 Distal tilting from canine to molars
 Buccal ridge prominence
 Max 1st vs mand 1st
 Crown proportions
 Max oblong rectangular
 Mand square
 SECTION 2 TYPE TRAITS
DIFFERENTIATE 1st FROM 2nd
MAXILLARY PREMOLARS

 Objectives
 Class traits to distinguish maxillary 1st
premolar from 2st premolar

 Number any maxillary premolar

A type traits from the buccal view

 Relative size of crowns

 Crown: 1st >2nd in size
 Root: 1st < 2nd in length

 Shoulders

 Crown taper
 Location of proximal contacts
 Mesial: middle third near the junction of the
occlusal and middle thrids
 Distal: more cervical

 Location of the buccal cusp tip

 Slightly to the distal for the1st premolar
 Cusp ridges
 Shape of the buccal cusp
 1st cusp angle: 100-110° long sharp
 2nd cusp angle: 125-130 ° obtuse

 Buccal ridge and depression

 1st prominent than 2nd
 Roots
 1st 61% 2 roots
 2nd mostly one root , long , root-to-crown ratio
1.8:1
B Type traits from the lingual view

 Relative cusp size

 shorter and narrower than buccal cusp
 1st premolar more prominent

 Cusp ridges
 Meet at a rounded angle
 2nd relatively sharper

 Lingual cusp position

 Tip is to the mesial of the midroot axis line
 Marginal ridges
 Distal ridge more cervical
 Roots
 1st lingual root shorter than the buccal root
 Root taper to the lingual
C type traits from the proximal views

 Crown shape and morphology

 Trapezoid
 Mesial concavity cervical of 1st

 Relative cusp height

 1st buccal longer
 2st equal

 Height of contour
 Buccal or lingual
 Marginal ridge grooves
 1st marginal ridge groove: mesial 97% distal
39%
 2nd less

 Cervical lines
 Curvature of mesial & distal
 Roots and root depressions
 Concavity
 Lingual root shorter

 1st only premolar that mesial depression

deeper than distal
 D type traits from the occlusal view

 Relative size
 1st >= 2nd 82%

 Grooves and fossae

 1st longer central groove
 2nd more Supplementary grooves

 1st mesial marginal ridge groove

 Distal fossae always >= mesial ones in size

 Relative proportions
 Demention buccolingually > mesiodistally
 Outline
 Asymmetrical occlusal outline of 1st
 1st Marginal ridge

 2nd symmetrical

 Contact areas &

heights
 1st
 2nd
 SECTION 3 TYPE TRAITS
DIFFERENTIATE 1st FROM 2nd
MANDIBULAR PREMOLARS

 Objectives
 Class traits to distinguish mandibular 1st
premolar from 2st premolar

 Number any mandibular premolar

A