Location and Function of Mandibular Lateral Incisor
- Mandibular lateral incisor is located distally from both mandibular central incisors and mesially from both mandibular canines.
- Function of mandibular lateral incisor is for shearing or cutting food during mastication.
- Mandibular lateral incisors have no cusps on the teeth.
- The surface area of the tooth used in eating is called an incisal ridge or incisal edge.
- Incisors are commonly known as chewing teeth.
Differences between Deciduous and Permanent Mandibular Lateral Incisors
- There are some minor differences between deciduous (baby) mandibular lateral incisor and permanent mandibular lateral incisor.
- In the universal system of notation, deciduous mandibular lateral incisors are designated by a letter written in uppercase.
- The right deciduous mandibular lateral incisor is known as Q, and the left one is known as N.
- In the international notation, the right deciduous mandibular lateral incisor is known as 82, and the left one is known as 72.
- Permanent mandibular lateral incisors are designated by a number in the universal system of notation.
Notation for Permanent Mandibular Lateral Incisors
- In the universal system of notation, the right permanent mandibular lateral incisor is known as 26, and the left one is known as 23.
- Palmer notation uses a number in conjunction with a symbol designating the quadrant where the tooth is found.
- In Palmer notation, the left and right lateral incisors would have the same number, 2.
- The right one would have the symbol, ┐, over it, while the left one would have, ┌.
- The international notation has a different numbering system, and the right permanent mandibular lateral incisor is known as 42, and the left one is known as 32.
Anatomical Terminology
- The mandibular lateral incisor is identified by the FMA code 290197.
- Anatomical terminology is used to describe the location and characteristics of the tooth.
- The mandibular lateral incisor is marked in red in diagrams of both permanent and primary teeth.
- The term 'distally' refers to being away from the midline of the face.
- The term 'mesially' refers to being toward the midline of the face.
References
- Ash, Major M. and Stanley J. Nelson, 2003. Wheelers Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion. 8th edition.
The mandibular lateral incisor is the tooth located distally (away from the midline of the face) from both mandibular central incisors of the mouth and mesially (toward the midline of the face) from both mandibular canines. As with all incisors, their function is for shearing or cutting food during mastication, commonly known as chewing. There are no cusps on the teeth. Instead, the surface area of the tooth used in eating is called an incisal ridge or incisal edge. Though relatively the same, there are some minor differences between the deciduous (baby) mandibular lateral incisor and that of the permanent mandibular lateral incisor.
| Mandibular lateral incisor | |
|---|---|
 Mandibular lateral incisors of permanent and primary teeth marked in red. | |
| Identifiers | |
| FMA | 290197 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In the universal system of notation, the deciduous mandibular lateral incisors are designated by a letter written in uppercase. The right deciduous mandibular lateral incisor is known as "Q", and the left one is known as "N". The international notation has a different system of notation. Thus, the right deciduous mandibular lateral incisor known as "82", and the left one is known as "72".
In the universal system of notation, the permanent mandibular lateral incisors are designated by a number. The right permanent mandibular lateral incisor is known as "26", and the left one is known as "23". In the Palmer notation, a number is used in conjunction with a symbol designating in which quadrant the tooth is found. For this tooth, the left and right lateral incisors would have the same number, "2", but the right one would have the symbol, "┐", over it, while the left one would have, "┌". The international notation has a different numbering system than the previous two, and the right permanent mandibular lateral incisor is known as "42", and the left one is known as "32".
