Permanent Molar Development — MFDS Part 1 MCQ

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EasyAnatomy (Head & Neck)Permanent Molar DevelopmentMFDS Part 1

In normal human dental development, which group of permanent teeth has no deciduous predecessors?

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Correct answer: C — First, second and third permanent molars

The correct answer is C. All permanent molars are non-succedaneous teeth: they are added posteriorly to the dental arch and do not replace deciduous teeth. The first permanent molar develops from the posterior part of the primary dental lamina, with the second and third molars subsequently arising through serial posterior addition. Permanent incisors and canines are succedaneous teeth that replace the corresponding deciduous incisors and canines. Permanent premolars replace the deciduous first and second molars; therefore, options containing premolars, incisors or canines are incorrect. This distinction also explains why there are no deciduous premolars and why the permanent dentition contains three molars per quadrant despite the primary dentition containing only two.

Reference: Tafti A, Clark P. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Primary Dentition. StatPearls [Internet], 2026 online edition, permanent dentition section. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34424647/