Hygiene Atlas

Atlas · Plate II · Dental Anatomy and Tooth Morphology · 01

Tooth numbering systems

Three systems name teeth. The Universal system numbers permanent teeth 1-32, starting at the maxillary right third molar, and letters primary teeth A through T. The FDI system uses two digits, quadrant first and tooth second, so Universal #8 is 11 and #19 is 36. Palmer notation places 1-8 or A-E inside a quadrant bracket.

High-yield facts · 6

  1. Universal: permanent teeth 1-32 start at the maxillary right third molar, go across to 16, drop to 17 (mandibular left third molar) and end at 32.S1
  2. Universal primary teeth: A-J maxillary right to left, K-T mandibular left to right.S1
  3. FDI two-digit system: first digit is the quadrant (1-4 permanent, 5-8 primary), second is the tooth (1-8). Tooth 11 = #8; 36 = #19.T6
  4. Palmer notation uses a quadrant bracket with 1-8 for permanent and A-E for primary teeth.T6
  5. Universal #3 = maxillary right first molar; #14 = maxillary left first molar; #19 = mandibular left first molar; #30 = mandibular right first molar.T6
  6. Universal #6 and #11 are the maxillary canines; #22 and #27 are the mandibular canines.T6

Facts are written in our own words; each tag links to its source. Values marked "sources vary" differ between references, so check the one your program uses.