dentition

Everyday

1. Dentition is the set of teeth in a mouth: how many teeth there are, what kinds and how they are arranged. tree →
2. Dentition can mean the growing of teeth, especially in babies and children. tree →

In the lessons

A science word used in biology and by dentists. Scientists study an animal's dentition to learn what it eats: sharp canines for meat, flat molars for plants. Children have milk (baby) dentition and later permanent dentition. Phrases: milk dentition, permanent dentition, adult dentition.

Examples

• A lion's dentition has long sharp canines for tearing meat. tree →
• Children's first dentition has 20 milk teeth. tree →
• The dentist checked my dentition. tree →
• A horse's dentition shows roughly how old it is. tree →
• Scientists studied the dinosaur's dentition to guess its diet. tree →
• Adult human dentition usually has 32 teeth. tree →

Note

Formal or scientific word; in everyday talk say "teeth". Usually uncountable. Related words: dental, dentist, denture. In number problems: humans have 20 milk teeth and usually 32 adult teeth, so adults have 12 more.