ABSTRACT
As for deglutition, man’s oral cavity is short, barely holding 32 teeth, which are designated:
Maxilla 2I-1C-2P-3M ¼ 32
Mandible 2I-1C-2P-3M
This includes the wisdom teeth, i.e., the third molars, for which there is often little room. Man’s teeth are also significantly smaller than the teeth of similar-sized animals (8). They are reportedly 10% smaller than those in a similar-sized primate (9). There is little to no room for the four third molars and orthodontists often have the four premolars extracted to make room for orthodonture. This would leave man with 24 teeth designated:
Maxilla 2I-1C-1P-2M ¼ 24
Mandible 2I-1C-1P-2M
Other mammals do not have impacted molars, even though they have more teeth, all of which are larger.
