Hegde and Nayak

Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.

Unusual occlusal morphology of mandibular first permanent molar: Acase report
Sapna Hegde, MDS, and Ullal Ananda Nayak, MDS
Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dental Surgery,
Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Mangalore, India

The occlusal surface of the mandibular first permanent molar commonly presents a five-cusped or afour-cusped pattern with the occlusal grooves forming a Y shape or a + shape. What follows is a report oftwo cases presenting an unusual occlusal groove pattern. (Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.)
Key Words: occlusal surface, molar, morphology.

Introduction
The mandibular first permanent molar is situated sixth from the midline of the mandible and is normallythe largest mandibular tooth. The occlusal surface of the tooth presents a roughly oblong outline with themesial and distal surfaces converging toward the lingual surface. There are five cusps - two lingual (themesiolingual and the distolingual) and three buccal (the mesiobuccal, the distobuccal and the distal). The
mesiolingual cusp is the largest cusp and the distal cusp or the hypoconulus is the smallest (Fig. 1).
Several variations have been reported in the number and location of cusps in the mandibular firstpermanent molar.
1.

There may be four cusps instead of five because of reduction of the distal cusp giving a more circularoutline similar to that of the second permanent molar.1 The four-cusp type has only one buccal
groove.

2.

An accessory cusp or paramolar cusp may sometimes be seen on the buccal surface of themesiobuccal cusp, about in the middle third of the crown.

Studies have shown this to occur

frequently in the Prima Indians of Arizona2 and in Indian (Asian) populations.3,43.

The distal cusp is often placed lingually in Mongoloids. It may also be split into two parts by afissure.5

4.

Some mandibular first permanent molars have a sixth cusp which is named tuberculum septum whenlocated on the distal ridge between the distal cusp and distolingual cusp and tuberculum intermedium
when located between the two lingual cusps.6 The sixth cusp is common in the Chinese population.
In 90% of cases, the mesiolingual cusp is joined to the distobuccal cusp across the floor of the central

fossa. This feature and the five-cusped pattern is termed as the dryopithecus pattern and is characteristic of1

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all the lower molars of the anthropoid apes and their early ancestors, the dryopithecines. Because of theY-shaped fissure pattern and the five cusps, the dryopithecus pattern is sometimes referred to as a Y5pattern. In 10% of cases where the mesiobuccal and distolingual cusps meet, a more cruciate system ofThis is sometimes referred to as a +5 pattern.7

fissures is produced.

The principal grooves of themandibular first permanent molar are the central, lingual, mesiobuccal and the distobuccal grooves. The
distobuccal groove is unique to this tooth.
The pattern of the grooves on the occlusal surface of the mandibular first molars shows considerablevariation. Three principal types of occlusal groove patterns have been described: type Y, in which thecentral groove forms a Y figure with the lingual groove; type +, in which the central groove forms a +figure with the buccal and lingual grooves (common in four-cusp type of molars); and type X, in which theocclusal grooves are somewhat in the form of an X.8

MBMBDBDBDDPMLMPDLFig. 1. Occlusal morphology of maxillary and mandibular first permanent molars. Modified fromvan Beek GC, 1983.

1The Role of Genetics in Tooth Morphogenesis
Mutations of MSX and DLX genes in humans are associated with specific syndromes, such as toothagenesis, craniosynostosis, and tricho-dento-osseous syndrome. Davideau et al.9 investigated MSX-2,DLX-5 and DLX-7 expression patterns and compared them in orofacial tissues of 7.5-to-9-week-old humanembryos by using in-situ hybridization.

The expression of MSX-2 in the enamel knot well as thecoincident expression of MSX-2, DLX-5, and DLX-7 in a restricted vestibular area of dental epithelium,
suggested the existence of various organizing centers involved in the control of human toothmorphogenesis.
The development of individual teeth involves epithelial-mesenchymal interactions that are mediated bysignals shared with other organs. The successional determination of tooth region, tooth type, tooth crownbase and individual cusps involves signals that regulate tissue growth and differentiation. Tooth type2

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Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.

appears to be determined by epithelial signals and to involve differential activation of homeobox genes in
the mesenchyme. This differential signaling could have allowed the evolutionary divergence of tooth
shapes among the four tooth types.

The advancing tooth morphogenesis is punctuated by transient

signaling centers in the epithelium corresponding to the initiation of tooth buds, tooth crowns andindividual cusps.10
Several members of the Fibroblast Growth Factor family i.e., FGF-4, -8, and -9 have been implicated asepithelial signals regulating mesenchymal gene expression and cell proliferation during tooth initiation andlater during epithelial folding morphogenesis and the establishment of tooth shape. Kettunen et al.11
analyzed the roles of FGF-3, FGF-7, and FGF-10 in developing mouse teeth. Their results suggested that
FGF-3 and FGF-10 have redundant functions as mesechymal signals regulating epithelial morphogenesis ofthe tooth and that their expressions appeared to be differentially regulated. In addition, FGF-3 may
participate in signaling functions of the primary enamel knot.
It is suggested that the shape and diversity of the mammalian molar teeth is regulated by the primary andsecondary enamel knots, which are putative epithelial signaling centers of the tooth. Spatiotemporal
induction of the secondary enamel knot determines the cusp patterns of the individual teeth and is likely to
involve repeated activation and inhibition of signaling as suggested for patterning of other epithelialorgans.10 Loes, et al.12 analyzed mRNA expression of Slit-1, -2, -3, earlier characterized as secreted signals
needed for axonal pathfinding and their two receptors Robo-1 and -2 (Roundabout-1 and -2) in thedeveloping mouse first molar. Their results indicated that Slits and Robos display distinct, developmentallyregulated expression patterns during tooth morphogenesis.
Presented here is a report of two cases displaying a somewhat unusual occlusal pattern of the mandibular
first molar hitherto unreported in the literature.

Case Report
Two patients, one, a male aged 12 years (Case 1) and the other, a female aged 9 years (Case 2) reported
separately on different days to the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dental
Surgery, Mangalore, for routine checkup. The two patients were not related to one another in any way.
Both patients were asymptomatic and healthy with no relevant medical history. The medical histories ofboth sets of parents were not contributory.
Routine oral examinations of both patients were carried out. Case 1 had minimal plaque and dental
caries whereas Case 2 had a healthy and well-aligned dentition with minimal plaque. In Case 1, themandibular first permanent molar had four cusps (Fig. 2a). In Case 2, the mandibular first permanent molar
showed the presence of five cusps, with the distal cusp located on the distal marginal ridge between the twolingual cusps (Fig. 3a). An interesting finding was the presence of a rather unusual occlusal groove patternin the mandibular first permanent molars of both patients. The occlusal surface showed the presence of twogrooves, a mesiobuccal and a distolingual groove with no central groove connecting the two.

A

well-developed oblique ridge was seen extending between the mesiolingual and the distobuccal cusps (Fig.

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Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.

2a and 3a), giving the tooth the appearance of a maxillary permanent molar (Fig. 1).
Intraoral periapical radiographs of the permanent first molars in both patients revealed the presence of
two roots with normal morphology in all the teeth (Fig. 1b and 2b). The families of both patients were
examined for similar findings, but the first permanent molars of all the members examined displayed thecommon five- or four-cusped patterns with Y-shaped or +-shaped fissures.

Fig. 2a. Mandibular first molar with four cusps and unusual occlusal groove pattern (left).
Fig. 3a. Mandibular first molar with five cusps and unusual occlusal groove pattern (right).

Fig. 2b. Intraoral periapical radiographs of Case 1 showing normal root morphology.

Fig. 3b. Intraoral periapical radiographs of Case 2 showing normal root morphology.

4

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Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.

Discussion
Primate molar shapes reflect developmental and ecological processes. Development may constrain as
well as facilitate evolution of new tooth shapes. Much of the genetic machinery of development uses thesame genes among different organs, including teeth, limbs and feathers. Furthermore, within a tooth, thedevelopment of individual cusps repeatedly uses the same set of developmental genes, forming a"developmental module". The repeated activation of the developmental module can explain the cumulative
variation in later-developing cusps. Therefore short later-developing cusps may be evolvable but also more
homoplastic. This patterning cascade mode of cusp development can be used to explain the variational
properties of dental characters and character states related to cusp initiation.13
The developmental basis and variational properties of crown termination, cusp shape, and cusp
configuration characters are currently less well understood. It is unlikely that there is a simple "gene tophenotype" map for dental characters.

Rather, the whole cusp pattern is a product of a dynamic

developmental programme manifested in the activation of the developmental modules.13
The mandibular first permanent molar normally has five cusps. As a variation, a four-cusped pattern or a
six-cusped pattern may also be seen. Three types of occlusal groove patterns are common: the type Y, thetype + and the type X. In this case report, two cases have been described in which the mandibular firstpermanent molar presents a new occlusal groove pattern hitherto unreported in the dental literature.

References
1. van Beek GC. Dental morphology, an illustrated guide. 2nd ed. Bristol: Wright; 1983. p. 81-84.
2. Dahlberg AA. The evolutionary significance of the protostylid. Am J Phys Anthropol 1950; 8: 15-9.
3. Dahlberg AA. Geographic distribution and origin of dentitions. Int Dent J 1965; 15: 348-55.
4. Hellman M. Racial characters of human dentition. Proc Am Philosoph Soc 1928; 67(2): 23-6.
5. Tratman EK. A comparison of the teeth of people. Indo-European racial stock with Mongoloid racial stock. Dent Record
1950; 70: 31-55.
6. Kraus B, Jordan R, Abrams L. Dental anatomy and occlusion. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 1969. p. 110-4.
7. Berkovitz BKB, Holland GR, Moxham BJ. A color atlas and text of oral anatomy, histology and embryology, 2nd ed.
London: Mosby-Wolfe; 1992. p. 37.
8. Jorgensen KD. The Dryopithecus pattern in recent Danes and Dutchmen. J Dent Res 1955; 34: 195-7.
9. Davideau JL, Demri P, Hotton D, Gu TT, MacDougall M, Sharpe P, Forest N, Berdal A. Comparative study of MSX-2,DLX-5, and DLX-7 gene expression during early human tooth development. Pediatr Res 1999; 46: 650-6.
10. Jernvall J, Thesleff I. Reiterative signaling and patterning during mammalian tooth morphogenesis. Mech Dev 2000; 92:19-29.
11. Kettunen P, Laurikkala J, Itaranta P, Vainio S, Itoh N, Thesleff I. Associations of FGF-3 and FGF-10 with signaling
networks regulating tooth morphogenesis. Dev Dyn 2000; 219: 322-32.
12. Loes S, Luukko K, Kvinnsland IH, Kettunen P. Slit 1 is specifically expressed in the primary and secondary enamelknots during molar tooth cusp formation. Mech Dev 2001; 107: 155-7.
13. Jernvall J, Jung HS. Genotype, phenotype and developmental biology of molar tooth characters. Am J Phys Anthropol2000; Suppl 31: 171-90.

5Hegde and Nayak

Int Chin J Dent 2003; 3: 1-6.

Reprint request to:
Dr. Sapna Hegde
Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry College of Dental Surgery,
Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Light House Hill Road, Mangalore 575 002, India
TEL: +91-824-422653 E-mail: sapnahegde@yahoo.com
Received on June 13, 2002. Revised on July 18, 2002. Accepted on December 21, 2002.
Copyright ©2003 by the Editorial Council of the International Chinese Journal of Dentistry.

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