Pediatric Dentistry · patient case question
How should this patient's dental development be described?
Patient case: Eruption pattern in a five-year-old
Patient: 5-year-old girl attending for a routine check.
Chief complaint: Routine examination.
History: Healthy, no medications, no relevant family history. Growth parameters normal for age.
Findings: Permanent first molars have erupted. A permanent mandibular lateral incisor and a permanent maxillary central incisor are also already in place.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Advanced for her chronological age
- A. CORRECT. Permanent first molars and mandibular central incisors normally appear around age six to seven, and maxillary central incisors around seven to eight. To have first molars, a mandibular LATERAL incisor and a maxillary CENTRAL incisor all erupted at five puts her roughly two years ahead. Dental development is ADVANCED.
- B. Normal for five is a complete primary dentition with no permanent teeth yet visible.
- C. Eruption timing is assessed clinically and radiographically against established norms. A hand-wrist film addresses SKELETAL age, a separate question.
- D. Delayed development would mean permanent teeth still unerupted well past the expected ages, as seen in hypothyroidism, cleidocranial dysplasia or Down syndrome.
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