Cusp of Carabelli
Encyclopedia
Georg Carabelli
Georg Carabelli, Edler von Lunkaszprie was a prominent Hungarian dentist and professor of dental surgery in Vienna...
is a small additional cusp
Cusp (dentistry)
A cusp is an occlusal or incisal eminence on a tooth.Canine teeth, otherwise known as cuspids, each possess a single cusp, while premolars, otherwise known as bicuspids, possess two each. Molars normally possess either four or five cusps...
at the mesiopalatal
Commonly used terms of relationship and comparison in dentistry
There are numerous commonly used terms of relationship and comparison that refer to different aspects of teeth and are frequently utilized in articles about dentistry...
line angle of maxillary first molar
Maxillary first molar
The maxillary first molar is the tooth located laterally from both the maxillary second premolars of the mouth but mesial from both maxillary second molars....
s. This extra cusp is usually found on the first molar, and becomes progressively less likely in the second, third molars. This cusp is entirely absent in some individuals and present in others in a variety of forms. In some cases, Carabelli's cusp may rival the main cusps in size. Other related forms include ridges, pits, or furrows. This additional cusp was first described in 1842 by the Hungarian Georg Carabelli (Carabelli György), the court dentist of the Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
Emperor Franz.
The cusp of Carabelli is a heritable feature. Kraus (1951) proposed that homozygosity
Zygosity
Zygosity refers to the similarity of alleles for a trait in an organism. If both alleles are the same, the organism is homozygous for the trait. If both alleles are different, the organism is heterozygous for that trait...
of a gene is responsible for a pronounced tubercle, whereas the heterozygote
Zygosity
Zygosity refers to the similarity of alleles for a trait in an organism. If both alleles are the same, the organism is homozygous for the trait. If both alleles are different, the organism is heterozygous for that trait...
shows slight grooves, pits, tubercles or bulge. Later studies showed that the development of this trait is affected by multiple genes. Carabelli's cusp is most common among Europeans (75-85% of individuals) and rarest in Pacific Islands (35-45%).
This cusp may also be found in dogs and cats.
Further reading
- Simon Hillson. 1996. Dental Anthropology. Cambridge University Press.