Learning Bones IV:  Axial Skeleton
Dentition

1. 32

2. 20

3. a third molar (wisdom tooth) has fused roots, and a first and second molar commonly has 3 roots. There are also characteristic differences in the crown morphology, but this gets more into advanced human osteology/dental anthropology

4. adult because there are no premolars in the subadult dentition

5. teeth are useful for age estimation--extent of tooth development (crown and root), sequence of formation, timing and sequence of eruption, etc.  Teeth are also unique in each individual, even identical twins, so they are good for identifying unknown decedents

6. distal

7. mesial (medial is for bones, mesial is for teeth--both refer to "close to midline of the body")

Questions

Learning Bones IV