DEFINITIONS

CLINICAL CROWN:
Portion of the tooth visible in the oral
cavity.

ANATOMICAL CROWN:
Portion of the tooth covered by enamel.
Constant entity.
ANGLE:
A line or a point where two or more
surfaces or borders meet.

LINE ANGLE:
Angle formed by meeting of two surfaces.
Name of angle derived from both the
surfaces.
Mesio-labial Mesio-lingual
Disto-labial Disto-lingual
Mesio-incisal Disto-incisal
Labio-incisal Linguo-incisal
POINT ANGLE:
Junction of three surfaces.
Name derived from all the three surfaces.
Mesio-labio-incisal
Mesio-linguo-incisal
Disto-labio-incisal
Disto-linguo-incisal
AXIAL:
Means related to the axis of the tooth.
Axial surface is parallel to the long axis of
the tooth. e.g. labial, lingual, mesial,
distal.
CROWN ELEVATIONS:
1. CUSPS:
Elevated & usually pointed projection of
enamel on the crown.
It has an apex & four ridges.
Incisor ------ None
Canine ------ one
Premolar ---- Two or three
Molar -------- Four or more
2. TUBERCLE:
Small rounded elevation of enamel on the
crown.
Also known as mini-cusps.
Most likely location -------lingual surface of
max. ant. teeth. esp. deciduous canines.
3. CINGULUM:
Large rounded eminence on the
cervical third of the lingual
surface of all permanent &
deciduous teeth.
4. RIDGES:
Long, elevated portion on the surface of
tooth.
Several types, named acc. to their location
or shape.
a.MARGINAL R: Elevations found on the
mesial & distal boundaries of occlusal
surface in post. teeth & lateral
margins of the lingual surface
in ant. teeth.
Less prominent in ant. teeth.
b. CUSP RIDGES: Each cusp
has four ridges radiating
from its surface.
Named acc. to the
direction they take from
the tip.

c. TRIANGULAR R: Named
because of their triangular
cross-section.
Descends from the tip of
cusps of post. teeth
towards the central area
of the occlusal surface.
d. OBLIQUE R: Union of two
triangular ridges of a post. tooth
which transversely cross the O.
surface.
e. INCLINED PLANE: sloping area
found btw two cusp ridges.
Named by combining the names of the
two cusp ridges btw which they lie.
5.MEMELONS:
Small, rounded projections of enamel on
the incisal edge of recently erupted
incisors.
Worn away soon after eruption.
CROWN DEPRESSIONS:
1. FOSSA:
Irregular, usually rounded concavity on the
crown of tooth.
There is a large, shallow fossa on the lingual
surface of ant. teeth while post. teeth
have two or three fossa of varying depth.
2. SULCUS:
Elongated depression in the tooth formed
by inclines of adjacent cusps or ridges.
Developmental grooves are found in the
bottom of sulci.
3. DEVELOPMENTAL GROOVE:
Linear depression on the surface of tooth.
Shows the coalescence of the primary
parts of the tooth.
Usually seen on the buccal or lingual
surface of post. teeth.
4. SUPPLEMENTAL GROOVE:
An auxiliary groove which branches from
a developmental groove.
Not as deep as developmental groove.

5. PIT:
Small depressed area where dev. grooves
join or terminate.
Usually found in the deepest portion of
fossa.
MISCELLANEOUS STRUCTURES:

1. CONTACT POINT:
Area on the proximal surface of the crown
that contacts the adjacent tooth.
Each tooth has two contact points on the
mesial & distal side except third molar
which has no contact on the distal side.
Increases in size with age.
Prevents slippage of food between the
teeth.
Relative size of contact point increases from
ant. to post. tooth in each quadrant.
Contact point become more cervically
located from ant. to post. in each
quadrant.
2. LOBE:
Primary anatomical
divisions of the crown.
All teeth develop from four
or five lobes.
Lobes are usually
separated by grooves.
Cusps & mamelons are
representative of
lobes.
CROWN SURFACE FORM:
Geometric configuration of all the crown
surfaces of teeth except incisal/ occlusal
can be placed in one of the three
categories. i.e. triangular, trapezoidal or
rhomboidal.
Facial & lingual surfaces of all permanent
teeth can be roughly described as
trapezoidal.
Mesial & distal surfaces of permanent teeth
represent the following forms.

anterior teeth------------triangular
Max. post. teeth------------trapezoidal
Mand. post. teeth----------rhomboidal
Occlusal surface of post.
Teeth can have on of
the following forms.
Circular-------e.g. lower
bicuspids
Rectangular----e.g.
upper bicuspids &
lower 2nd molar
Trapezoidal-----e.g.
lower 1st molar
Rhomboidal-----e.g.
upper molars