Four digits representing in order the number of a mammal's incisors, canines, premolars, and molars on one side of one jaw. If the upper and lower teeth differ, the upper jaw's formula precedes the lower, separated by a slash.
(plural, formulae) — A brief method for expressing the number and kind of teeth of mammals. The abbreviations I (incisor), C (canine), P or Pm (premolar), and M (molar) indicate the kinds in the permanent dentition. The number of teeth in each jaw is written like a fraction; the figure in front of the diagonal line showing the number in the upper jaw and that after, the number in the lower jaw. The dental formula of an adult coyote is I 3/3, C 1/1, Pm 4/4, M 2/3 X 2 = 42.
A convenient way of designating the number and arrangement of mammalian teeth; for example: I 3/3 C 1/1 P4/4 M 3/3 = 44 the ancestral complement of eutherian teeth. The letters indicate incisors, canines, premolars in upper and lower jaw in one side of the skull. The number after the equal sign indicates the full complement of teeth in both sides of the skull.
The number of each tooth type in one-quarter of the mouth.
an expression of the number to teeth of each kind in one half of the upper and lower jaws
A shorthand notation for the number of teeth on one side of the skull. I 1/2 indicates one upper incisor and two incisors on the lower jaw. C, P, and M are used to denote canines, premolars, and molars respectively. Since the formula is for only one side of the jaw, one must multiply by two to get the total number of teeth. For example, the dental formula of hyraxes is written as I 1/2, C 0/0, P 4/4, M 3/3 x 2 = 34.
A numerical representation (shorthand method used by mammalogists) of the kind (incisor, canine, premolar and molar) and a number of each kind of tooth on one side of the upper and one side of the lower mammalian jaws.
Pinnipeds, sirenians, otters and bears have differentiated teeth represented in a formula which numbers indicate the quantity of each type of tooth in the upper and lower jaw. Example formula: Incisor top/bottom, Canine top/bottom, Pre-molars t/b, Molars t/b (I 2/2, C1/1, PM 3/3, M 2/2).
a formula, which may be written in a variety of ways, showing the number of upper and lower incisors, canines, premolars and molars, in that order. In these Notes, the formula is typically written: 2/1, 0/0, 4/3-4, 3/3. This would indicate that the animal has, on each side, 2 upper incisors, 1 lower incisor, no canines, 4 upper premolars, 3 or 4 lower premolars, and 3 upper and 3 lower molars. Partial formulas may be written, e.g. I2/2: two upper and two lower incisors.