Tooth numbering systems used in dentistry

1. Tooth Notation
SHUBHAM PARMAR
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATIVE DENTISTRY AND ENDODONTICS
SECOND YEAR

2. INTRODUCTION
Teeth are arranged in the jaws forming two dental
arches
 Maxillary Arch(Upper Arch)
 Mandibular Arch(Lower Arch)
Each arch divided by an imaginary midline into a right
and left half called – QUADRANTS

3. NOMENCLATURE AND DENTAL FORMULA
Denomination and number of all mammalian teeth are expressed by a formula called
dental formula
Each tooth represented by initial letter of its name
 Incisor- I
 Canine- C
 Premolar- P
 Molar - M

4. Dental formula for the primary/deciduous teeth
Dental formula for the permanent human dentition

5. Tooth Numbering System
 The 3 main tooth numbering systems include
 Universal Tooth Numbering System
 Zsigmondy And Palmar Tooth Numbering System
 FDI Tooth Numbering System

6. Universal Tooth Numbering System
First suggested by Parreidt in 1882
Officially adopted by the American Dental Association in 1975
Endorsed by the American Society of Forensic Odontology
Uses No. 1 through 32 for the 32 teeth in the permanent dentition
Starting with 1 for the maxillary right third molar and ending with the mandibular
right molar as 32
The 20 teeth in the primary dentition, 20 letters of the alphabet are used from A
through T

8. Federation Dentaire Internationale (FDI)
FDI System uses two digits for each tooth
The first digit denotes the quadrant, arch and dentition
The second digit denotes the tooth position in each quadrant relative to the midline
from closest to the midline to farthest away
Quadrant 1 to 4 for permanent dentition
5 to 8 for the primary dentition

9. Zsigmondy/Palmer Notation System
Zsigmondy/Palmer notation for the permanent dentition is a
four-quadrant symbolic system
Presents difficulty when an appropriate font is not available for
keyboard recording
The arches are divided into quadrants
Utilizes four different bracket shapes to denote each of the four
quadrants
Bracket surrounds a number (or letter), which denotes the
specific tooth within that quadrant
Permanent teeth in each quadrant are numbered from 1 (nearest
to the arch midline) to 8 (farthest from the midline)
Alphabet A through E represent the primary teeth in each
quadrant

11. References
 Wheeler’s Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion 9e
 Woelfel’s Dental Anatomy 8e