Dental Chart Orientation and Terminology
- Dental charts are arranged from the perspective of the dental practitioner facing the patient.
- The patient's right side is depicted on the left side of the chart.
- The patient's left side is depicted on the right side of the chart.
- The labels 'right' and 'left' on the charts correspond to the patient's right and left sides, respectively.
Universal Numbering System
- The universal numbering system, also known as the American system, is used exclusively in the United States.
- Uppercase letters A through T are used for primary teeth.
- Numbers 1 to 32 are used for permanent teeth.
- Tooth number 1 represents the maxillary right third molar (wisdom tooth).
- The numbering sequence continues along the upper teeth to the left side and then starts at the mandibular left third molar, designated as number 17, and continues along the bottom teeth to the right side.
Tooth Numbering Systems
- The American Dental Association provides information on tooth numbering systems.
- The Universal Tooth Designation System is described in a PDF document published by the American Dental Association.
- The Universal Tooth Designation System allows for easier use on keyboards with unique numbers or letters assigned to each tooth.
- The ISO 3950 is an updated dentistry designation system.
- The book 'Histology: A Text and Atlas' by Michael H. Ross and Wojciech Pawlina provides information on tooth numbering systems.
External Links - Dental Notations
- Dr. Bunn's page provides information on dental notations.
- The American Dental Association's website offers resources on oral health topics, including tooth numbering systems.
- Archived versions of the American Dental Association's resources can be accessed through the provided links.
- The ada.org website provides a value set for the Universal Tooth Designation System.
- The book 'Histology: A Text and Atlas' by Michael H. Ross and Wojciech Pawlina includes information on tooth numbering systems.
Additional Resources
- The American Dental Association's website offers resources on oral health topics, including tooth numbering systems.
- Archived versions of the American Dental Association's resources can be accessed through the provided links.
- The ada.org website provides a value set for the Universal Tooth Designation System.
- The book 'Histology: A Text and Atlas' by Michael H. Ross and Wojciech Pawlina includes information on tooth numbering systems.
The Universal Numbering System, sometimes called the "American System", is a dental notation system commonly used in the United States.
Most of the rest of the world uses the FDI World Dental Federation notation, accepted as an international standard by the International Standards Organization as ISO 3950. However, dentists in the United Kingdom commonly still use the older Palmer notation despite the difficulty in representing its graphical components in computerised (non-handwritten) records.
