Quick Facts
Location: Distal to mandibular first premolar tooth; mesial to mandibular first molar tooth.
Eruption: 11 to 12 years (permanent).
Key Features: Crown, root, marginal ridges, central groove, and buccal and lingual cusps.
Nerve Supply: Inferior dental plexus.
Arterial Supply: Inferior alveolar artery.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The mandibular second premolar tooth is one of the two premolar 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: buccal and lingual cusps, marginal ridges, and central groove.
The mandibular second premolar tooth is located:
- distal to the mandibular first premolar tooth;
- mesial to the mandibular first molar tooth.
The root of the mandibular second premolar tooth is lodged in a dental alveolus of the mandible.
Development
The permanent mandibular second premolar tooth does not have a deciduous precursor.
The permanent mandibular second premolar tooth undergoes calcification during the third year, with the development of the crown being completed during the sixth to seventh years. Eruption of this tooth occurs during the eleventh to twelfth years and the development of the root is completed during the thirteenth to fourteenth years (Nelson, 2014).
Function
As with all premolar teeth, the function of the mandibular second premolar tooth is to assist the mandibular canine tooth in the gripping (prehension) and tearing of food during mastication.
The mandibular second premolar tooth also assists the mandibular molar teeth with 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.
