CLASSIFICATION OF DENTAL

CAVITIES, PREPARATIONS AND

RESTORATIONS
Overall Classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//REL TO NATO/ISAF

Objectives

know the 6
classifications of
lesions, preparations
and restorations

identify the different

parts of a cavity
preparation (walls,
line angles and point
angles)

AFAMS Dental Advisor Team

CLASSIFICATION OF
DENTAL CAVITIES
Class 2:

involves proximal
surfaces of posterior
teeth.

Class 3:

involves the proximal

surfaces of anterior
teeth but not the incisal
angles.

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CLASSIFICATION OF
DENTAL CAVITIES

Class 4:
involves the proximal
surfaces of anterior
teeth and the incisal
angles.

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CLASSIFICATION OF
DENTAL CAVITIES
Class 5:

involves the gingival third

of all teeth (excluding pits
or fissures).

Root caries are designated

as Class 5 lesions. These
lesions are frequently seen in
the elderly where gum
recession has occurred.

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CLASSIFICATION OF
DENTAL CAVITIES

Class 6:
involves only incisal
edges and cusp tips.

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

A cavity preparation is
termed simple if only
one surface is
involved, compound
if two surfaces are
involved and
complex if a
preparation involves
three or more surfaces

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

The involved surfaces of

the cavity, cavity
preparation and
restoration are designated
by a combination of the
letters representing each
involved surface:
F facial D distal
I incisal L lingual
B buccal M mesial
O occlusal
V vestibular (has replaced
the terms facial and buccal)

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

For example:
interproximal decay
involving the mesial and
facial surfaces of tooth
11 would be classified as
a Class 3 MF or MV.
A restoration involving
the mesial, occlusal and
distal surfaces of tooth
36 would be classified as
a Class 2 MOD.

AFAMS Dental Advisor Team

CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

An internal wall is a
cavity preparation surface
that does not extend to
the external tooth surface.
There are 2 internal walls.
An axial wall is a vertical
internal wall overlying the
pulp chamber and parallel
with the long axis of the
tooth.
A pulpal wall is a
horizontal internal wall
occlusal to the pulp
chamber and
perpendicular to the long
axis of the tooth.
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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

An external wall is a
cavity preparation surface
that extends to the
external tooth surface.
Such a wall takes the
name of the tooth surface
that the wall is toward.
See next diagram. There
are 6 external walls.

Illustration indicating external and internal walls.

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

A cavity preparation wall

which is reasonably flat
and perpendicular to the
forces of occlusion that are
generally parallel to the
long axis of the tooth can
be called floors or seats.

Examples are the pulpal and

gingival floors.

Such floors are

purposefully prepared to
provide stabilizing seats
for the restoration,
distributing the stresses in
the tooth-restoration unit.
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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

The enamel wall is

the portion of a
prepared external wall
consisting of enamel.

The dentinal wall is

the portion of a
prepared external wall
consisting of dentin.

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

The enamel wall is

the portion of a
prepared external wall
consisting of enamel.
The dentinal wall is
the portion of a
prepared external wall
consisting of dentin.

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

The cavosurface
angle is the angle
formed by the cavity
preparation and the
external surface of the
tooth. The actual
junction of the angle
is referred to as the
cavosurface margin.

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

Cavity preparations showing cavosurface angles (cs);

axial wall (a); pulpal wall (p); enamel wall (e);
dentinal wall (d); cavosurface margin (m);
dentinoenamel junction (j).

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

The junction of two or

more cavity preparation
surfaces is referred to as
an angle.
A line angle is the
junction of two cavity
preparation surfaces.
An example would be a
lingual-pulpal line angle
(lp).
A point angle is the
junction of three surfaces.
An example would be an
axial-lingual-gingival
point angle (alg).
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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

Typical Class 1 cavity

preparation for dental
amalgam on a
maxillary premolar

Schematic representation
illustrating cavity preparation
walls:
distal (d)
facial (f)
lingual (l)
mesial (m)
pulpal (p)

Schematic representation
illustrating cavity
preparation line angles
and point angles.
Line angles are:
distal-facial (df)
distal-pulpal (dp)
distal-lingual (dl)
facial-pulpal (fp)
lingual-pulpal (lp)
mesial-lingual (ml)
mesial-pulpal (mp)
mesial-facial (mf)

Point angles are:

distal-facial-pulpal (dfp)
distal-lingual-pulpal (dlp)
mesial-lingual-pulpal (mlp)
mesial-facial-pulpal (mfp)

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

Typical Class 2 mesial occlusal

cavity preparation for dental
amalgam on a maxillary
premolar

Schematic representation illustrating cavity

preparation walls:
axial (a)
distal (d)
facial of proximal and occlusal portions (f)
gingival (g)
lingual of proximal and occlusal portions (l)
pulpal (p)

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Schematic representation illustrating

cavity preparation line angles and
point angles.
Line angles are:
axial-facial (af) axial-gingival (ag) axiallingual (al) axial-pulpal (ap) distal-facial
(df) distal-pulpal (dp) distal-lingual (dl)
facial-gingival (fg) facial-pulpal (fp)
lingual-gingival (lg) lingual-pulpal (lp)
Point angles are:
axial-facial-gingival (afg) axial-facialpulpal (afp) axial-lingual gingival (alg)
axial-lingual-pulpal (alp) distal-facialpulpal (dfp) distal-lingual-pulpal (dlp)

CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

Class 3 facial approach cavity

preparation for composite resin on
a maxillary central incisor

Schematic representation illustrating

cavity preparation walls:
axial (a) facial (f) gingival (g) lingual
(l)

Schematic representation illustrating

cavity preparation line angles and
point angles.
Line angles are:
axial-facial (af) axial-gingival (ag)
axial-lingual (al) facial-gingival (fg)
facial-lingual (fl) lingual-gingival (lg)
Point angles are:
axial-facial-gingival (afg) axial-lingual
gingival (alg) axial-facial-lingual (afl)

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

Class 5 cavity preparation

Schematic representation
illustrating cavity preparation
walls:
axial (a) distal (d) gingival (g)
incisal (I) or occlusal (o)
mesial (m)

Schematic representation illustrating

cavity preparation line angles and point
angles.
Line angles are:
axial-gingival (ag)
axial-distal (ad)
axial-incisal (ai) or axial- occlusal (ao)
axial-mesial (am)
distal-gingival (dg)
distal-incisal (di) or distal- occlusal (do)
mesial-gingival (mg)
mesial-incisal (mi)or mesial occlusal (mo)

Point angles are:

axial-distal-gingival (adg) axial-distal-incisal (adi)
or axial-distal-occlusal (ado) axial-mesial gingival
(amg) axial-mesial-incisal
(ami) or axialmesial-occlusal (amo)

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CAVITY PREPARATION
TERMINOLOGY

It is preferred that
occlusal be used for
posterior teeth only
and incisal be used
for anterior teeth only

AFAMS Dental Advisor Team


Questions?
Overall Classification:
UNCLASSIFIED//REL TO NATO/ISAF