dentition

American  

[den-tish-uhn] / dɛnˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the makeup of a set of teeth including their kind, number, and arrangement.

2. the eruption or cutting of the teeth; teething; odontiasis.

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dentition British  

/ dɛnˈtɪʃən /

noun

1. the arrangement, type, and number of the teeth in a particular species. Man has a primary dentition of deciduous teeth and a secondary dentition of permanent teeth

2. teething or the time or process of teething

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dentition Scientific  

/ dĕn-tĭsh′ən /

1. The type, number, and arrangement of teeth in an animal species. In mammals, dentition consists of several different types of teeth, including incisors, canines, and molars. The dentition of toothed fish and reptiles usually consists of only one kind of tooth.

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Etymology

Origin of dentition

1605–15; < Latin dentītiōn- (stem of dentītiō), equivalent to dentīt ( us ) (past participle of dentīre to cut teeth, teethe) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The discovery of teeth on the tenaculum has reopened that debate, prompting researchers to ask how widespread such features might be and what they reveal about the history of vertebrate dentition.

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

More baby boomers reached 60 with “a relatively intact dentition at that age than any generation in history,” the CDC says.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024

Imagine a walrus-like creature with dentition remarkably similar to modern walruses: A quartet of post-canine teeth, a large lower canine tooth and a short, fused vertical midline on their lower jaw.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2024

The fossil dolphin’s dentition was unlike anything seen in living cetaceans.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2023

The dentition of a badger is half tuberculous and half carnivorous, and in this respect approaches the martens.

From The Badger A Monograph by Pease, Alfred E.