Which tooth shows infrabony pocket with vertical bone loss on radiograph?

• A. 27
• B. 28
• C. 30
• D. 29

Answer: (D)

Vertical bone loss shows up on a radiograph as an angular, wedge-shaped radiolucency along the root surface, with the base of the defect toward the root apex. This pattern indicates an infrabony pocket where the bone has been lost vertically rather than uniformly around the tooth.

In the image, the tooth in the lower-right region displays a clearly angled radiolucent area adjacent to the root, forming a defect that extends apically. That localized angular loss is the radiographic hallmark of an infrabony pocket. The other teeth either lack this angular defect or show a more uniform, horizontal loss, which does not reflect vertical bone loss.