In the pre-treatment panoramic radiograph of the mandibular left posterior sextant, how many permanent teeth can be identified?

• A. 6
• B. 4
• C. 8
• D. 2

Answer: (A)

In panoramic radiographs, each posterior sextant spans the area from the canine through the third molar, so it can show up to six permanent teeth if all are present. For the mandibular left posterior sextant, that would be the canine, first premolar, second premolar, first molar, second molar, and the third molar (teeth 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38). If all six are erupted and clearly visible, you can identify six permanent teeth in that sextant. If any of these teeth are missing or not well visualized, the count would be lower. The maximum count aligns with six, which is why six is the best answer.