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Tooth notation - permanent/adult

Case contributed by Francis Deng
Diagnosis not applicable

Presentation

Pain.

Patient Data

Age: 30 years
Gender: Male

Orthopantomogram

Annotated image

Cropped orthopantomogram in an adult patient with a full complement of teeth.

CT ADA Numbering System

ct

Cropped CT of the face for a different adult patient with a full complement of teeth, with annotations according to the ADA Universal Numbering System.

Case Discussion

Different nomenclatures are used for tooth numbering. The American Dental Association Universal Numbering System is most common in the United States, where the left maxillary second premolar may be referred to as "tooth #13" or "ADA 13". Palmer notation, also known as the Zsigmondy system, is commonly used in the United Kingdom but is difficult to reproduce on computer systems, so the alphanumeric modification is often preferred when typing 1. The FDI World Dental Federation notation (ISO 3950 notation) is most common in the rest of the world. 

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