A baby boy aged two years is admitted to play school and passes through a dental check-up. The dentist observed that the boy had twenty teeth. Which teeth were absent?
- Canines
- Pre-molars
- Molars
- Incisors
Answer
(2) Pre-molars
Solution
A two-year-old child has only milk (deciduous) teeth.
Dental formula of milk teeth (I C PM M) = 21022102
Number of teeth = 2 (2 + 1 + 0 + 2) 2 = 20
Adult dental formula (as per NCERT) = 21232123, i.e. 32 teeth.
Premolars (and the third molars) are absent in the milk dentition.
Answer: (2)