Mandibular Central Incisor Tooth

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The mandibular central incisor tooth is one of the two incisor teeth found in a quadrant of the mandibular dental arcade. It includes the following bony features:

- parts: crown, root and cervical line;

- surfaces: incisal margin, and labial, lingual, mesial, and distal surfaces;

- landmarks: cingulum, marginal ridges, and lingual fossa.

The mandibular central incisor tooth is located:

- adjacent to the mandibular central incisor tooth of the opposite quadrant;

- mesial to the mandibular lateral incisor tooth of the same quadrant.

The root of the mandibular central incisor tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the mandible.

Development

The deciduous mandibular central incisor tooth undergoes calcification during the fourteenth week in utero, with the development of the crown being completed during the third month after birth. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the eighth month after birth and the development of the root is completed during the second year.

The permanent mandibular central incisor tooth undergoes calcification during the third to fourth months after birth, with the development of the crown being completed during the fourth to fifth years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the sixth to seventh years and the development of the root is completed during the ninth year (Nelson, 2014).

Function

As with all incisors, the mandibular central incisor tooth is bladelike and specializes in the cutting (incision) of food during mastication.

References

Nelson, S. J. (2014) Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion. 10th edn.: Elsevier Health Sciences.