What is the sequence of shedding in the mandible?

• A. Anterior to posterior
• B. Posterior to anterior
• C. Lateral to medial
• D. Random order

Answer: (A)

Shedding in the mandible progresses from front to back because the permanent teeth beneath the deciduous dentition erupt in sequence starting at the front. As the underlying permanent teeth (especially the incisors) begin to erupt, they induce resorption of the roots of the corresponding deciduous teeth, causing the anterior deciduous teeth to exfoliate first. This front-to-back pattern matches the eruption order of the mandible’s permanent dentition, so the anterior teeth exfoliate before the posterior ones. The other patterns would require back-to-front, side-to-side, or random timing, which doesn’t align with how eruption and root resorption unfold.