Dental Anatomy and Tooth Morphology

What this unit covers

The resources sit in the Oral Biology: Anatomy, Histology and Development strand of Dentistry. They work through tooth tissues, individual tooth types, eruption timing and the landmarks around the mouth and face.

• Tissues: the Enamel composition and structure mind map covers physical and chemical properties, and notes that enamel is brittle and supported by dentine. The Mineralisation mind map looks at how enamel and dentine form.
• Tooth types: maps on Canines, Maxillary Central Incisors, Mandibular Premolars and Maxillary Molars, plus decks on incisors, premolars and cuspids.
• Nerves and landmarks: maps on the Trigeminal nerve, Maxillary Nerve and anatomical landmarks.

Where to start

Begin with the TOOTH MORPHOLOGY flashcard deck. It runs through permanent and deciduous teeth side by side, starting with the maxillary central incisor. Then open Dental Terminology and Tooth Naming so the directions and surfaces, such as mesial, distal and occlusal, feel familiar before you tackle detail.

Using maps and quizzes together

Read a mind map first, for example the one on Canines, which lists eruption ages and calcification stages. Then test yourself with the Deciduous tooth eruption and calcification dates quiz, or the Adult mandibular tooth eruption and calcification dates quiz. Note what you missed and go back to the map for those branches only.

For longer practice, the numbered Dental Anatomy decks each hold 100 flash cards, and there is a run of Dental Anatomy quizzes to match. Tooth Morphology Past Papers and Dental Anatomy Final Review suit the weeks before an assessment.

For teachers

Teachers can pick a mind map as a ready-made class handout, or set a quiz as a quick check after a session on one tooth group.

Next step

Choose one tooth group, work through its map, then see how many quiz questions you can answer from memory.