Have you ever thought about the arrangement of our teeth? And How is it different from animals? To understand the whole concept of numbers and arrangements of teeth in humans and animals dental formula is used. The relationship of teeth within the jaws of animal teeth and human teeth is described by the dental formula. A set of hard, bony, mineral-rich enamel-coated structures commonly known as teeth are found in the jaws(mouth) which extends into the buccal cavity of most vertebrates and are used to grasp, bite, and chew food. Including temporary and permanent sets of teeth, humans have two sets of teeth during their lifespan. But few animals can replace their teeth, lost due to any disease or injury throughout their life
Information about the number and size of teeth as well as the type of teeth is provided by the Dental formula. Teeth are one of the most important elements in our mouth. There are two sets of teeth in mammals; one is deciduous and the other one is permanent. Milk teeth ( baby teeth ) are also known as the Deciduous teeth. All humans beings consist of four different types of teeth which includes
All four of them are not present in the temporary set. All the teeth perform different functions like crushing, tearing, cutting, and shredding the food. A tooth consists of a crown, a root, and a cervical part which all together makes it perfect for various functions.
The overall development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth is described by a term generally known as Dentition. The development of teeth depends on the characteristics of teeth as their kind and arrangement of several teeth in a particular species. A normal adult has 32 teeth. Animals who have two sets of teeth are known as diphyodont, whereas animals with only one set of teeth throughout life are known as monophyodont.
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The dental formula is a method of expressing or describing the total number of teeth in man and animals as per the arrangement. Using letters and figures Dental formulas are expressed. The letters used in this formula are based on the four types of teeth which include Incisors, Canines, Premolars, and Molars.
The Dental Formula is generally expressed as
The number of each type of tooth in the upper jaw divided by the number of teeth on one side of the lower jaw
Dental Formula = (2 incisors 1 canine 2 premolars 3 molars) / (2 incisors 1 canine 2 premolars 3 molars) |
Humans and Apes have similar teeth and dental formulas, among all of the mammals present on the earth.
A human's upper and lower jaw may have between 18 and 28 teeth in total, but most people have 22 teeth. The numbers of teeth in mammals such as cats, dogs, and cows are very similar to a great extent.
In the upper and lower jaws, there are a total of 22 teeth. These teeth are separated into four types -two in the upper jaw and one in the lower jaw(canine teeth), four in the upper jaw and four in the lower jaw(incisors), six in the upper jaw and four in the lower jaw (premolars), and four in the upper jaw and four in the lower jaw(molars).
Humans have two dental formulae:
I2/2 C1/1 M2/2 = 10
I2/2C1/1 P2/2 M 3/3 = 16.
Representation term (I – Incisors, C-Canine P-Premolars and M-Molar).
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From juveniles to adults the dental formulae of various animals differ just like in the case of human beings.Some animals' dental formula is mentioned below:
Dogs fall under the omnivore category.
2 x (3 I.1C.4P. 2M / 3I.1C.4P.3M) = 42 teeth (6 incisors 2 canine 8 premolars and 4 molar) / (6 incisors 2 canine 8 premolars and 6 molar) = 42 teeth. |
Cats do consume both plants and animals and have the following dental formula.
2 x (3 I.1 C .3P.1M / 3I.1C.2P.1M) = 30 teeth (6 incisors 2 canine 6 premolars and 2 molar) / (6 incisors 2 canine 4 premolars and 2 molar) = 30 teeth. = 30 teeth. |
Cattles are domesticated mammals and have a unique set of teeth with no canines and upper incisors and are categorized as cud-chewing animals.
2 x (0I.3P.3M /4I.3P.3M) = 32 teeth . (0 incisors 6 premolars and 6 molar) / (8 incisors 6 premolars and 6 molar) = 32 teeth. |
(I – Incisors, C-Canine P-Premolars and M-Molar).
Some of the dental problems that human beings generally suffer from are as follows:
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The causes are-
The effects are-