Mandibular Second Molar Tooth

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The mandibular second molar tooth is one of the three molar teeth that are found in a quadrant of the mandibular dental arcade. It includes the following bony features:

- parts: crown, root, and cervical line;

- surfaces: buccal, lingual, mesial, distal, and occlusal surfaces;

- landmarks: mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distobuccal, and distolingual cusps, and marginal ridges.

The mandibular second molar tooth is located:

- distal to the mandibular first molar tooth;

- mesial to the mandibular third molar tooth.

The root of the mandibular second molar tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the mandible.

Development

The deciduous mandibular second molar tooth undergoes calcification during the eighteenth week in utero, with the development of the crown being completed during the tenth month after birth. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the twenty-seventh month after birth and the development of the root is completed during the third year.

The permanent mandibular canine tooth undergoes calcification during the second to third years, with the development of the crown being completed during the seventh to eighth years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the eleventh to thirteenth years and the development of the root is completed during the fourteenth to fifteenth years (Nelson, 2014).

Function

As with all molars, the mandibular second molar tooth has cusped surfaces and is specialized for the crushing or grinding (comminution) of food during mastication.

References

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