Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Tooth Morphology
This domain tests naming, numbering, and structure of teeth, plus basic oral physiology. Precision in terminology is where points are won and lost.
Core concepts
- Universal numbering: 1–32, starting with the maxillary right third molar (1) and ending with the mandibular right third molar (32).
- Tooth types: incisors (cutting), canines (tearing), premolars (tearing and grinding), molars (grinding).
- Surfaces: mesial (toward midline), distal (away), buccal/facial (toward cheek/lips), lingual/palatal (toward tongue/palate), occlusal (biting surface), incisal (edge of anterior teeth).
- Tissues: enamel (hardest, acellular), dentin (bulk, tubular), pulp (nerve and blood supply), cementum (covers root).
- Periodontium: gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, alveolar bone.
- Eruption and physiology: primary teeth erupt around 6 months to 2.5 years; permanent first molars erupt around age 6. Saliva buffers acids and aids remineralization.
Traps
Questions frequently swap mesial and distal or ask which surface faces the tongue on a maxillary tooth (palatal, not lingual-though lingual is often accepted). Another trap is confusing enamel (acellular, cannot regenerate) with dentin (can repair by forming tertiary dentin).
Rule of thumb
Picture the arch: the surface closest to the midline is always mesial. If a question describes a surface "toward the cheek," answer buccal/facial.