Crown and Root Landmarks,

Division into Thirds, Line

Angles and Point Angles.
 Aims and Objectives
• An introduction to the main parts of the
tooth.
• Understanding the nomenclature of the
tooth landmarks.
• Knowledge of the division of teeth into
thirds for a better description of teeth.
• Familiarity with the line angles and point
angles.
 The Crown and Root

Anatomically, each
tooth is divided into 2
main parts:

The crown.
The root(s).
Tooth Structure
.A tooth has a crown
and root(s) with a pulp
chamber and root
canal(s).

Enamel, dentine, pulp

-

tissue and cementum

make up a tooth.
-
The crown and root join
at the cementoenamel
junction (CEJ), the
cervical line.
 Tooth Structure

●
Incisor teeth (central and lateral)
have incisal edges.
●
Canines have single cusps.
●
Premolars and molars have two
or more cusps.
Tooth Structure
A
A Apex of the root.

R Root.
R
CL CL Cervical line.

C Crown.
C
IE Incisal edge.
IE
 Tooth Structure

The root is fixed

in the bony
process of the
jaw called the
alveolar process.
 Tooth Structure

The bone of
the tooth
socket is called
the alveolus.
 Tooth Structure

The fully erupted crown is partly

covered at the cervical third in young
adults by the gingiva or gums.
 Surfaces and Ridges

●
- Incisors and canines have four
surfaces and a ridge.
●
- Premolars and molars have five
surfaces.

- Surfaces are named according

to their positions and uses .
 Surfaces and Ridges
●
- In anterior teeth (Incisors and
canines) the surfaces toward the lips
are called labial surfaces.
●

●
- In premolars and molars surfaces
facing the cheek are called buccal
surfaces.

- Collectively, labial and buccal

surfaces are called Facial Surfaces.
 Surfaces and Ridges
●
- Surfaces facing the tongue are
called lingual surfaces.
●

●
- Surfaces of premolars and molars
that come in contact with those in
the opposite jaw are called occlusal
surfaces.

- These are called incisal surfaces in

the anterior teeth.
 Surfaces and Ridges
●
- Surfaces facing adjacent teeth in
the same dental arch are called
proximal surfaces.
●
Proximal surfaces are either mesial
or distal.
●
Proximal surfaces facing the
median line are called mesial
surfaces and those distant from the
median line are called distal
surfaces.
 Surfaces and Ridges

●
The area of the mesial or
distal surface of a tooth that
touches its neighbor in the
arch is called the contact
area.
 Tooth Landmarks

●
A cusp is an
elevation on the
crown portion of a
tooth making up a
divisional part of
the occlusal
surface.
 Tooth Landmarks

●
A tubercle is a smaller
elevation (than a cusp) on
some portion of the crown
produced by an extra
formation of enamel.
 Tooth Landmarks

●
A cingulum is the lingual lobe of
an anterior tooth and makes up
the bulk of the cervical third of the
lingual surface. Its convexity
mesiodistally resembles a girdle
encircling the lingual surface at
the cervical third.
CL Cervical Line
CI Cingulum
MR Marginal
Ridge
LF Lingual
Fossa
IR Incisal Ridge
 Tooth Landmarks

-A ridge is any linear elevation

on the surface of a tooth and
is named according to its
location (e.g., buccal, incisal,
or marginal ridge).
CL Cervical Line
CI Cingulum
MR Marginal
Ridge
LF Lingual
Fossa
IR Incisal Ridge
 Tooth Landmarks

-Marginal ridges are those

rounded borders of the enamel
that form the mesial and distal
margins of the occlusal surfaces
of premolars and molars and the
mesial and distal margins of the
lingual surfaces of the incisors
and canines.
CL Cervical Line
CI Cingulum
MR Marginal
Ridge
LF Lingual
Fossa
IR Incisal Ridge
 Tooth Landmarks
-Triangular ridges descend from the
tips of the cusps of molars and
premolars toward the central part of
the occlusal surfaces. The slopes of
each side of the ridge are inclined to
resemble two sides of a triangle.
They are named after the cusps to
which they belong (e.g., the
triangular ridge of the buccal cusp).
 Triangular Ridge
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 Tooth Landmarks

-When a buccal and lingual

triangular ridge joins, they
form a transverse ridge. A
transverse ridge is
transversely crossing the
surface of a posterior tooth.
 Transverse Ridge
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 Tooth Landmarks
-The oblique ridge is a ridge
obliquely crossing the
occlusal surfaces of maxillary
molars and formed by the
union of the triangular ridge
of the distobuccal cusp and
the distal cusp ridge of the
mesiolingual cusp.
 Oblique Ridge
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 Tooth Landmarks

A fossa is an irregular
depression.

Lingual fossae are on the lingual

surface of incisors.
 Central fossae are on
the occlusal surface of
molars. They are
formed by the
convergence of ridges
terminating at a
central point in the
bottom of the
depression where a
junction of grooves
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 Tooth Landmarks

-Triangular fossae are found on

posterior teeth on the occlusal
surfaces mesial or distal to
marginal ridges.
 Tooth Landmarks

-A sulcus is a long depression

or valley in the surface of a
tooth between ridges and
cusps, the inclines of which
meet at an angle. A sulcus
has a developmental groove
at the junction of its inclines.
 Sulcus
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 Tooth Landmarks

A developmental
groove is a shallow
groove or line
between the
primary parts of the
crown or root

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 Tooth Landmarks

-A supplemental groove is a
shallower linear depression
on the surface of a tooth, but
it is supplemental to a
developmental groove and
does not mark the junction of
primary parts
 Tooth Landmarks

-Buccal and lingual grooves

are developmental grooves
found on the buccal and
lingual surfaces of posterior
teeth.
 Tooth Landmarks

-Pits are small pinpoint

depressions located at the
junction of developmental
grooves or at terminals of those
grooves (e.g. central pit is a term
describes a landmark in the
central fossa of molars where
developmental grooves join).
 Tooth Landmarks
-A lobe is one of the primary
sections of formation in the
development of the crown (cusps
and mamelons).
A mamelon is any one of the
three rounded protuberances
found on the incisal ridges of
newly erupted incisor teeth.
 CF Central Fossa
DBC Distobuccal Cusp
DMR Distal Marginal Ridge
OR Oblique Ridge
DLC Distolingual Cusp
DG Developmental Grooves
BCR Buccocervical Ridge
BG Buccal Groove
MBC Mesiobuccal cusp
SG Supplemental Groove
TF Triangular Fossa
MLC Mesiolingual Cusp

Maxillary First Molar

 TRR Transverse
Ridge
DLC Distolingual
Cusp
TR Triangular Ridge
DC Distal Cusp
DBC Distobuccal
cusp
DBG Distovuccal
Groove
CF Central Fossa
MLC Mesiolingual
Cusp
MMR Mesial Marginal
Ridge
MBC Mesiobuccal
cusp
MBG Mesiobuccal
Groove
Mandibular First Molar BCR Buccocervcal
Ridge
 Division into Thirds

-.The crown is divided into an

incisal or occlusal third, a middle
third, and a cervical third.

The root is divided into a cervical

third, a middle third, and an apical
third.
 Line Angles

-. A line angle is formed by the

junction of two surfaces and
derives its name from the
combination of the two surfaces
that join
 Point Angles
-A point angle is formed by the
junction of three surfaces. The point
angle also derives its name from the
combination of the names of the
surfaces forming it. For example, the
junction of the mesial, buccal, and
occlusal surfaces of a molar is called
the mesiobuccoocclusal point angle.