Cingulum (tooth)

Lingual (interior) view of an upper incisor. The cingulum is highlighted near the base.

In dentistry, cingulum (Latin: girdle or belt) refers to an anatomical feature of the teeth. It refers to the portion of the teeth that forms a convex protuberance at the cervical third of the anatomic crown. It represents the lingual or palatal developmental lobe of these teeth.[1]

In zoology and palaeontology, cingulum refers to this feature only in the upper teeth. When this occurs in the lower teeth it is called the cingulid.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Ash, Major M. and Stanley J. Nelson. Wheeler’s Dental Anatomy, Physiology, and Occlusion. 8th edition. 2003. ISBN 0-7216-9382-2.