Dental Anatomy

Anatomic position

standing erect, arms at the sides, face and palms are forward

Planes

used to describe and divide the body (sagittal, frontal, and transverse)

saggital plane

any plane parallel to the medial line that divides the body into right and left portions.

Median Plane (or midsagittal)

An invisible vertical line that divides the body into equal left and right portions

Frontal Plane

A vertical line that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) sections.

Transverse Plane

A horizontal line that divides the upper portion and the lower portions of the body.

Anterior/ventral

Front of the body

Posterior/dorsal

Back of the body

Superior/cranial

Towards the head

Inferior/caudal:

away from the head

Cephalic

Relating to the head; positioned towards the head or upper part of the body.

Cranial

top of the head (skull)

Caudal

relating to the tail or posterior part of the body.

Proximal

closer to the center of the body or point of attachment

medial

towards the midline or median line

Distal

further away from the center of the body or point of attachment

superficial/external

closer to the surface of the body

Deep/internal

Away from the body surface; internal

Lateral

further away from the midline compared to another structure

Palmar

of, in or relating to the palm of the hand

plantar

of or the soles of the feet (middle part that touches the ground)

bilateral

both sides (symmetrical)

Supra

above or on top of

Orbital

eye or area of the eye

foramen

opening

naso

nose

labio

lips

buccal

cheek

retro

behind

oro

mouth

cervical

neck

mesial

towards the midline

distal

away from the midline

lingual

towards the tongue

facial

towards the cheeks

labial

anterior region; towards the lips

buccal

posterior region; towards the cheeks

interproximal

between two teeth

proximal surfaces

mesial and distal surfaces