NEET MDS Lessons
Dental Anatomy
CONTACT POINT.:-The point on the proximal surface where two adjacent teeth actually touch each other is called a contact point.
INTERPROXIMAL SPACE.:-The interproximal space is the area between the teeth. Part of the interproximal space is occupied by the interdental papilla. The interdental papilla is a triangular fold of gingival tissue. The part of the interproximal space not occupied is called the embrasure.
EMBRASURE. :-The embrasure occupies an area bordered by interdental papilla, the proximal surfaces of the two adjacent teeth, and the contact point (fig 4-18). If there is no contact point between the teeth, then the area between them is called a diastema instead of an embrasure.
OCCLUSAL
The occlusal surface is the broad chewing surface found on posterior teeth (bicuspids and molars).
OCCLUSION.:-Occlusion is the relationship between the occlusal surfaces of maxillary and mandibular teeth when they are in contact. Many patterns of tooth contact are possible. Part of the reason for the variety is the mandibular condyle's substantial range of movement within the temporal mandibular joint.
Malocclusion occurs when any abnormality in occlusal relationships exist in the dentition. Centric occlusion, is the centered contact position of the chewing surfaces of mandibular teeth on the chewing surface (occlusal) of the maxillary teeth.
OCCLUSAL PLANE.:-Maxillary and mandibular teeth come into centric occlusion and meet along anteroposterior and lateral curves. The anteroposterior curve is called the Curve of Spee in which the mandibular arch forms a concave (a bowl-like upward curve). The lateral curve is called the Curve of Wilson . The composite (combination) of these curves form a line called the occlusal plane, and is created by the contact of the upper and lower teeth
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL OVERLAP. :-Vertical overlap is the extension of the maxillary teeth over the mandibular counterparts in a vertical direction when the dentition is in centric occlusion Horizontal overlap is the projection of maxillary teeth over antagonists (something that opposes another) in a horizontal direction.
KEY TO OCCLUSION.:-The occlusal surfaces of opposing teeth bear a definite relationship to each other. In normal jaw relations and when teeth are of normal size and in the correct position, the mesiofacial cusp of the maxillary first molar occludes in the facial groove of the mandibular first molar. This normal relationship of these two teeth is called the key to occlusion.
PERMANENT DENTITION
The permanent dentition consists of 32 teeth. Each tooth in the permanent dentition is described in this section. It should be remembered that teeth show considerable variation in size, shape, and other characteristics from one person to another. Certain teeth show a greater tendency than others to deviate from the normal. The descriptions that follow are of normal teeth.
TYPES OF TEETH
The human permanent dentition is divided into four classes of teeth based on appearance and function or position.
Incisors, Canines, Premolars & Molars
Dentin
Composition: 70% inorganic, 20% organic, 10% water by weight and 45%, 33%, and 22% in volume respectively
Hydroxyapatite crystals and collagen type I
Physical characteristics: Harder than bone and softer than enamel
Yellow in color in normal teeth
Radiographic appearance: More radiolucent than enamel
Primary (circumpulpal) dentin: forms most of the tooth
Mantle dentin: first dentin to form; forms the outline of dentin in the adult tooth
Predentin: lines the innermost portion of dentin (faces the pulp)
Secondary dentin: after root formation dentin continues to form, continuous to primary dentin but with structural irregularities
Tertiary dentin: reactive or reparative dentin; may or may not have characteristics of primary dentin; produced in the area of an external stimulus; osteodentin
Dentin is formed by cells called odontoblasts.
These cells derive from the ectomesenchyme and produce the organic matrix that will calcify and become the dentin.
Formation of dentin initiates formation of enamel.
The formation of dentin starts during late bell-stage in the area of the future cusp.
First coronal dentin and then root dentin.
Completion of dentin does not occur until about 18 months after eruption of primary and 2-3 years after eruption of permanent teeth.
The rate of dentin development varies.
The role of the internal (inner) dental (enamel) epithelium
Cuboidal - Columnar (reverse polarization)
Ectomesenchymal cells of the dental papilla become preodontoblasts - odontoblasts
Acellular zone disappears
Histologic features of dentin
Odontoblasts
Dentinal tubules
Extend through the entire thickness of dentin
S-shaped (primary curvatures) path in the crown, less S-shaped in the root, almost straight in the cervical aspect
Secondary curvatures
Tubular microbranches
Presence of fluid
Intratubular dentin
Dentin in the tubule that is hypermineralized
The term peritubular dentin should not be used
Sclerotic dentin
Dentinal tubules that are occluded with calcified material
Most likely a physiologic response
Reduction of permeability of dentin
Intertubular dentin
Dentin between the tubules
Interglobular dentin
Areas of unmineralized or hypomineralized dentin
The defect affects mineralization and not the architecture of dentin
Incremental lines
Lines of von Ebner: lines associated with 5-day rythmic pattern of dentin deposition
Contour lines of Owen: Originally described by Owen they result from a coincidence of the secondary curvatures between neighboring dentinal tubules.
Granular Layer of Tomes
Seen only in ground sections in the root area covered by cementum
Originally, they were thought to be areas of hypomineralization
They are true spaces obtained by sections going through the looped terminal portions dentinal tubules
DE junction :Scalloped area
Enamel tissue with incremental lines of Retzius and dentin tissue with parallel, curved dentinal tubules are in contact at the irregular dentino-enamel junction. The junction often has a scalloped-shaped morphology
DC junction Dentin Cemental Junction
MAXILLARY LATERAL INCISORS
it is shorter, narrower, and thinner.
Facial: The maxillary lateral incisor resembles the central incisor, but is narrower mesio-distally. The mesial outline resembles the adjacent central incisor; the distal outline--and particularly the distal incisal angle is more rounded than the mesial incisal angle (which resembles that of the adjacent central incisor. The distal incisal angle resembling the mesial of the adjacent canine.
Lingual: On the lingual surface, the marginal ridges are usually prominent and terminate into a prominent cingulum. There is often a deep pit where the marginal ridges converge gingivally. A developmental groove often extends across the distal of the cingulum onto the root continuing for part or all of its length.
Proximal: In proximal view, the maxillary lateral incisor resembles the central except that the root appears longer--about 1 1/2 times longer than the crown. A line through the long axis of the tooth bisects the crown.
Incisal: In incisal view, this tooth can resemble either the central or the canine to varying degrees. The tooth is narrower mesiodistally than the upper central incisor; however, it is nearly as thick labiolingually.
Contact Points: The mesial contact is at the junction of the incisal third and the middle third. The distal contact is is located at the center of the middle third of the distal surface.
Root Surface:-The root is conical (cone-shaped) but somewhat flattened mesiodistally.
Deciduous dentition period.
-The deciduous teeth start to erupt at the age of six months and the deciduous dentition is complete by the age of approximately two and one half years of age.
-The jaws continue to increase in size at all points until about age one year.
-After this, growth of the arches is lengthening of the arches at their posterior (distal) ends. Also, there is slightly more forward growth of the mandible than the maxilla.
1. Many early developmental events take place.
-The tooth buds anticipate the ultimate occlusal pattern.
-Mandibular teeth tend to erupt first. The pattern for the deciduous incisors is usually in this distinctive order:
(1) mandibular central
(2) maxillary central incisors
(3) then all four lateral incisors.
-By one year, the deciduous molars begin to erupt.
-The eruption pattern for the deciduous dentition as a whole is:
(1) central incisor
(2) lateral incisor
(3) deciduous first molar
(4) then the canine
(5) then finally the second molar.
-Eruption times can be variable.
2. Occlusal changes in the deciduous dentition.
-The overjet tends to diminish with age. Wear and mandibular growth are a factor in this process.
-The overbite often diminishes with the teeth being worn to a flat plane occlusion.
-Spacing of the incisors in anticipation of the soon-to-erupt permanent incisors appears late. Permanent anterior teeth (incisors and canines) are wider mesiodistally than deciduous anterior teeth. In contrast, the deciduous molar are wider mesiodistally that the premolars that later replace them.
-Primate spaces occur in about 50% of children. They appear in the deciduous dentition. The spaces appear between the upper lateral incisor and the upper canine. They also appear between the lower canine and the deciduous first molar.
SURFACES OF THE TEETH
Facial, Mesial, Distal, Lingual, and Incisal Surfaces
- The facial is the surface of a tooth that "faces" toward the lips or cheeks. When there is a requirement to be more specific, terms like labial and buccal are used. The labial is the surface of an anterior tooth that faces toward the lips. The buccal is the surface of a posterior tooth that faces toward the cheek.
- The mesial is the proximal surface closest to the midline of the arch. The distal is the opposite of mesial. The distal is the proximal surface oriented away from the midline of the arch.
- The lingual is the surface of an anterior or posterior tooth that faces toward the tongue. Incisal edges are narrow cutting edges found only in the anterior teeth (incisors). Incisors have one incisal edge
- Proximal Surfaces
A tooth has two proximal surfaces, one that is oriented toward the midline of the dental arch (mesial) and another that is oriented away from the midline of the arch (distal).
Amelogenesis and Enamel
Enamel is highly mineralized: 85% hydroxyapatite crystals
Enamel formation is a two-step process
The first step produces partially mineralized enamel: 30% (secretory)
The second step: Influx of minerals, removal of water and organic matrix (maturative)
Again, dentin is the prerequisite of enamel formation (reciprocal induction)
Stratum intermedium: high alkaline phosphatase activity
Differentiation of ameloblasts: Increase in glycogen contents
Formation of the enamel matrix
Enamel proteins, enzymes, metalloproteinases, phosphatases, etc.
Enamel proteins: amelogenins (90%), enamelin, tuftelin, and amelin
Amelogenins: bulk of organic matrix
Tuftelin: secreted at the early stages of amelogenesis (area of the DE junction)
Enamelin: binds to mineral
Amelin
Mineralization of enamel
No matrix vesicles
Immediate formation of crystallites
Intermingling of enamel crystallites with dentin
"Soft" enamel is formed
Histologic changes
Differentiation of inner enamel epithelium cells. They become ameloblasts
Tomes' processes: saw-toothed appearance
Collapse of dental organ
Formation of the reduced enamel epithelium
Hard tissue formation (Amelogenesis )
Enamel formation is called amelogenesis and occurs in the crown stage of tooth development. "Reciprocal induction" governs the relationship between the formation of dentin and enamel; dentin formation must always occur before enamel formation. Generally, enamel formation occurs in two stages: the secretory and maturation stages. Proteins and an organic matrix form a partially mineralized enamel in the secretory stage; the maturation stage completes enamel mineralization.
In the secretory stage, ameloblasts release enamel proteins that contribute to the enamel matrix, which is then partially mineralized by the enzyme alkaline phosphatase. The appearance of this mineralized tissue, which occurs usually around the third or fourth month of pregnancy, marks the first appearance of enamel in the body. Ameloblasts deposit enamel at the location of what become cusps of teeth alongside dentin. Enamel formation then continues outward, away from the center of the tooth.
In the maturation stage, the ameloblasts transport some of the substances used in enamel formation out of the enamel. Thus, the function of ameloblasts changes from enamel production, as occurs in the secretory stage, to transportation of substances. Most of the materials transported by ameloblasts in this stage are proteins used to complete mineralization. The important proteins involved are amelogenins, ameloblastins, enamelins, and tuftelins. By the end of this stage, the enamel has completed its mineralization.