Teeth

Question 1

What are the main anatomical parts of a tooth?

Answer 1

Crown, neck, and root. The crown is above the gingiva, the neck lies at the gingival line, and
the root anchors the tooth in the alveolus (socket) of the jawbone

Question 2

What are the micro-anatomical components of a tooth?

Answer 2

Enamel, dentine, cementum, and pulp. The enamel is acellular and hardest; dentine is
bone-like and forms the bulk; cementum covers the root; and pulp contains nerves and vessels.

Question 3

What is enamel and what is its function?

Answer 3

Enamel is the hardest and most mineralized tissue, composed of enamel rods produced by
ameloblasts. It protects the tooth and resists wear. In hypsodont teeth, it covers most of the
tooth body.

Question 4

What is dentine and how is it formed?

Answer 4

Dentine is a hard tissue forming the bulk of the tooth. It is produced by odontoblasts at the
pulp periphery and remains active throughout life. It has three types: primary, secondary, and
tertiary (reparative)

Question 5

What is cementum and what is its role?

Answer 5

Cementum is the least hard tissue. It covers the root in brachydont teeth and fills infundibula
in hypsodont teeth. It anchors the periodontal ligament to the alveolar bone and may be vascular
in horses.

Question 6

What is the function of the dental pulp?

Answer 6

The pulp is a soft connective tissue containing nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatics within
the pulp cavity, responsible for tooth nourishment and sensation.

Question 7

What is the periodontium and its function?

Answer 7

The periodontium includes the gingiva, cementum, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligament. It
supports the tooth, protects against infection, and anchors the tooth to bone.

Question 8

What are the three hard tissues of a tooth?

Answer 8

Enamel, dentine, and cementum. In herbivores, these form a complex folded structure in the
crown to provide grinding efficiency

Question 9

What is the difference between brachydont and hypsodont teeth?

Answer 9

Brachydont: short crown, true root, found in carnivores. Hypsodont: long crown, continuous
eruption, found in herbivores like horses.

Question 10

What is the relationship between cheek tooth roots and the maxillary
sinus in horses?

Answer 10

The roots of the upper cheek teeth (especially molars) are separated from the maxillary sinus
by only a thin plate of alveolar bone. Infections can spread between tooth roots and the sinus.

Question 11

How many roots do the premolars and molars in dogs have?

Answer 11

All incisors and canines have a single root. PM1s: single root. PM2–PM3: two roots. Upper
PM4, M1, and M2: three roots. Lower M3: single root.

Question 12

How many roots do the premolars and molars in horses have?

Answer 12

Upper cheek teeth (PM2–PM4 and M1–M3) have three roots (two buccal, one palatal). Lower
cheek teeth have two roots (rostral and caudal)

Question 13

What is the blood supply to the teeth?

Answer 13

Upper teeth are supplied by the infraorbital artery (branch of the maxillary artery). Lower teeth
receive blood from the inferior alveolar artery, which enters the mandible via the mandibular
foramen.

Question 14

What is the nerve supply to the teeth?

Answer 14

Sensory innervation comes from the trigeminal nerve (CN V). The infraorbital nerve supplies
the upper teeth, and the inferior alveolar nerve supplies the lower teeth.

Question 15

What are infundibula in horse teeth?

Answer 15

Infundibula are enamel invaginations in the maxillary cheek teeth filled with cementum. They
appear as dark ‘cups’ on worn surfaces and help with grinding efficiency.

Question 16

What is the significance of secondary dentine in horses?

Answer 16

As teeth wear, secondary dentine forms over pulp horns, appearing as brown ‘dental stars’ on
the occlusal surface—protecting the pulp while maintaining function.