Permanent Dentition
Definition
Second set of 32 teeth. First permanent molar erupts at 6 years, third molar (wisdom) at 17 to 25 years. Dental formula 2.1.2.3 per quadrant.
- Total teeth
- 32
- First permanent molar eruption
- Around 6 years
- Third molar (wisdom tooth) eruption
- 17 to 25 years
- Dental formula
- 2.1.2.3 per quadrant
Common questions
Why is the first permanent molar's eruption age forensically significant?+
Because it erupts around age 6 with relatively low individual variation, its presence and development stage give a reliable early marker for subadult age estimation, distinct from more variable later-erupting teeth.
Why is third molar eruption timing less reliable for age estimation?+
Wisdom tooth eruption varies widely between individuals and populations, spanning roughly a decade, and some people never develop third molars at all, making it a much cruder age indicator than earlier permanent teeth.
What does the dental formula 2.1.2.3 actually describe?+
It lists the number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars present in one quadrant of the permanent dentition, which multiplied across all four quadrants gives the full adult complement of 32 teeth.
Related terms
- ABFO No. 2 Scale
- The right-angle L-shaped reference scale with circular targets used in bite mark photography. Its design enables post-capture correction of lens distortion and...
- Cameriere Method (2007)
- Adult age estimation using the pulp-to-tooth area ratio measured on periapical radiographs of canines.
- Canine
- Single-cusped tooth for tearing and gripping. One per quadrant. Often the last anterior tooth to be lost in old age.
- Cheiloscopy
- Study of lip prints (Greek cheilos, lip; skopein, to examine). The furrow system on human lips was first described by anthropologist R....
- Deciduous Dentition
- The first set of 20 teeth, also called primary or milk teeth, that erupt from approximately six months and are progressively replaced...
- Demirjian Method (1973)
- Childhood age estimation using radiographic stage-scoring (A to H, eight stages) of the seven permanent left mandibular teeth.
- Dental Formula
- Per-quadrant notation of tooth types in the order Incisors.Canines.Premolars.Molars. Human deciduous 2.1.0.2, permanent 2.1.2.3.
- Gustafson Method (1950)
- Adult age estimation using six histological and morphological criteria (Attrition, Periodontosis, Secondary dentine, Cementum apposition, Root resorption, Transparency of root), each scored...
- Incisor
- Chisel-shaped anterior tooth for cutting. Two per quadrant (central and lateral) in both dentitions.
- Molar
- Multi-cusped posterior tooth for grinding. Two per quadrant deciduous, three per quadrant permanent (third molar is the wisdom tooth).
- Nolla Method (1960)
- Ten-stage radiographic scoring of tooth calcification used for paediatric age estimation.
- Premolar (Bicuspid)
- Two-cusped tooth for grinding and tearing. Two per quadrant in permanent dentition only; absent in deciduous.