Free dental reference tool

Palmer notation converter

Palmer notation records a tooth by its position from the midline inside a bracket that marks the quadrant. Choose a Palmer position below and this tool shows the matching Universal and FDI numbers, and highlights the tooth on the chart.

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Select any tooth to convert its number.

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Upper right

Universal	FDI	Palmer
8	11	1
7	12	2
6	13	3
5	14	4
4	15	5
3	16	6
2	17	7
1	18	8

Upper left

Universal	FDI	Palmer
9	21	1
10	22	2
11	23	3
12	24	4
13	25	5
14	26	6
15	27	7
16	28	8

Lower left

Universal	FDI	Palmer
24	31	1
23	32	2
22	33	3
21	34	4
20	35	5
19	36	6
18	37	7
17	38	8

Lower right

Universal	FDI	Palmer
25	41	1
26	42	2
27	43	3
28	44	4
29	45	5
30	46	6
31	47	7
32	48	8

Reading Palmer notation

Each permanent tooth is numbered 1 to 8 from the midline (1 is the central incisor, 8 is the third molar). Primary teeth use the letters A to E. The bracket around the number is made of two lines — the vertical line represents the midline and the horizontal line the occlusal plane — so its shape tells you the quadrant. An upper-left first molar is Palmer 6 in the upper-left bracket, which is Universal 14 and FDI 26.

Prefer to see everything side by side? Open the full tooth numbering chart.