Medical and Dental Terminology

MEDICAL AND DENTAL TERMINOLOGY

ETYMOLOGY

  • Definition: The study of word origins.

  • Importance: Spelling is influenced by etymological origins.

  • Characteristics of English Spelling:

    • English spelling is not phonetic.

    • Derived from several sources:

    • Native words: Approximately half of the English vocabulary originates from native languages.

    • Latin: Historically the language of scholars; many technical, scholarly, and medical terms derive from Latin.

    • Greek: Many areas of knowledge, such as geometry and philosophy, developed their terminology. Examples include words like "isosceles" and "geometry."

    • Other languages: Contributions from various languages have shaped English.

  • Root Derivatives: Understanding root derivatives of words may provide clues to meaning and spelling.

STRUCTURE OF MEDICAL & DENTAL TERMS

  • Three basic components: prefix + root + suffix.

    • Prefix:

    • Placed at the beginning of a term when necessary.

    • Further modifies the root word.

    • Root:

    • Foundation of the term and conveys its primary meaning.

    • Suffix:

    • The word ending.

    • Modifies the root and adds further meaning to the term.

TERMINOLOGY STRUCTURE

THE PREFIX

  • Definition: The prefix is placed at the beginning of a term when needed.

  • Role: Modifies the root or roots of the term.

  • Categories:

    • Negation: (e.g., "non-" as in nontoxic, noncritical)

    • Position / Direction: (e.g., "endo-" as in endodontic)

    • Quantity / Measurement: (e.g., "milli-" as in 2ml solution)

    • Time: (e.g., "chrono-" as in chronological)

    • Size: (e.g., "macro-", "micro-")

    • Position in Space: (e.g., "inter-", "intra-", "peri-", "sub-", "trans-")

THE ROOT

  • Definition: The root serves as the foundation of a word.

  • Characteristics:

    • Can contain multiple ‘roots’.

  • Categories:

    • Colours

    • Substances

    • Organs / Structures

    • General

    • Dental

COLOURS (Examples)

  • Root Word: Meaning

    • erythr/o: red → erythrocyte: red blood cell

    • melan/o: black → melanoma: black pigment tumor

    • leuk/o: white → leukoplakia: white patch (often in the mouth)

    • cyan/o: blue → cyanosis: bluish discoloration of skin

    • xanth/o: yellow → xanthoma: yellow growth or tumor

SUBSTANCES (Examples)

  • Root Word: Meaning

    • hydr/o: water → hydrotherapy: water-based therapy

    • glyc/o: sugar → hypoglycemia: low blood sugar

    • lip/o: fat → lipoma: fatty tumor

    • calc/o: calcium → calcification: calcium build-up

    • tox/o: poison → toxicology: study of poisons

ORGANS / STRUCTURES (Examples)

  • Root Word: Meaning

    • cardi/o: heart → cardiology: study of the heart

    • hepat/o: liver → hepatitis: liver inflammation

    • neur/o: nerve → neurology: study of nerves

    • gastr/o: stomach → gastrectomy: removal of stomach

    • oste/o: bone → osteoporosis: porous bones

GENERAL TERMS (Examples)

  • Root Word: Meaning

    • path/o: disease → pathology: study of disease

    • therm/o: heat → thermometer: temperature-measuring device

    • my/o: muscle → myopathy: muscle disease

    • cyt/o: cell → cytology: study of cells

    • hemat/o: blood → hematology: study of blood

DENTAL TERMS (Examples)

  • Root Word: Meaning

    • dent/o, odont/o: tooth → dentist, orthodontist: tooth specialist, straightening teeth

    • gingiv/o: gums → gingivitis: inflammation of gums

    • stomat/o: mouth → stomatitis: inflammation of the mouth

    • alveol/o: alveolus (socket) → alveolitis: inflammation of the tooth socket

    • maxill/o: upper jaw → maxillectomy: surgical removal of the upper jaw

THE SUFFIX

  • Definition: The suffix is the word ending.

  • Role: Modifies the root and provides essential meaning.

  • Categories:

    • Describing a condition or disease:

    • Symptomatic suffixes: (-algia)

    • Diagnostic suffixes: (-itis, -oma, -pathy)

    • Describing operative/surgical treatment: (-ectomy, -plasty)

TERM BREAKDOWN EXAMPLES

  • lipemia:

    • Breakdown: lip + -emia = fat + blood condition

    • Meaning: Condition of fat in the blood

  • hyperlipemia:

    • Breakdown: Hyper- + lip + -emia = excessive + fat + blood condition

    • Meaning: Condition of excess fat in the blood

  • hyperlipoproteinemia:

    • Breakdown: Hyper- (prefix) + lip(o)- (root) + protein (root) + -emia (suffix)

COMBINING VOWEL

  • Definition: The combining vowel is used before suffixes that begin with a consonant and before another word root.

  • Usage:

    • When to Use "O":

    1. Root + Root: (two word roots)

      • Example:

      • oste/o + arthr/o + -itis → osteoarthritis (bone and joint inflammation)

      • gastr/o + enter/o + -logy → gastroenterology (study of stomach and intestines)

    2. Root + Suffix (Consonant):

      • Example:

      • cardi/o + -logy → cardiology (study of the heart)

      • neur/o + -plasty → neuroplasty (surgical repair of a nerve)

  • When NOT to Use "O":

    1. When the suffix begins with a vowel: Drop the "o" to avoid awkward double vowels.

      • Example:

      • gastr/o + -itis becomes gastritis (not gastroitis)

      • neur/o + -itis becomes neuritis

    2. After a prefix: Prefixes connect directly to the root without needing a combining vowel.

      • Example:

      • hyper- + thermia → hyperthermia (excessive heat)

      • hypo- + glycemia → hypoglycemia

COMMON ROOT WORDS

  • Aden-: Gland

  • Angi-: Blood vessel

  • Ather-: Fat

  • Carcin-: Cancer

  • Cardi-: Heart

  • Cervi-: Neck

  • Dent-: Tooth

  • Dermat-: Skin

  • Cephal-: Head

COMMON SUFFIX WORDS

  • -algia: Pain

  • -ectomy: Cutting out

  • -itis: Inflammation

  • -al: Pertaining to (e.g., gingival)

  • -cyte: Cell

  • -globin: Protein (e.g., hemoglobin)

  • -plasia: Development, growth

  • -stasis: Stopping, controlling

  • -ia: Abnormal state

EXCEPTIONS TO FORMING MEDICAL/DENTAL TERMS

  • Root only: E.g., Duct = tube

  • Root + Root only:

    • Example:

    • Ovi + Duct → Oviduct = tube through which the egg travels from the ovary to the uterus

  • Prefix + Suffix only:

    • Example:

    • Meta + Stasis = beyond + stop = Beyond the point of stopping (i.e., spreading)

DEFINING MEDICAL & DENTAL TERMS

  • Tip: Use a Medical Dictionary for terms that are difficult to pronounce or define.

  • Method: Define a term by interpreting different parts of the word.

    • Example: Tachycardia

    • Breakdown: Tachy + card + ia (prefix + root + suffix)

    • Meaning: Abnormally rapid heart rate (Fast + heart + condition of)

MED/DENT TERMINOLOGY

  • Examples:

    • Pericarditis: Inflammation of the tissue around the heart.

    • Hepatosplenomegaly: Enlargement of the liver and spleen.

    • Periodontitis: Inflammation around the tooth.

    • Apicoectomy: Surgical removal of the tip of a tooth root.

SINGULAR AND PLURAL FORMS

  • General Rule: Plurals are usually formed by adding -s or -es.

  • Common Exceptions:

    • Singular Ending → Plural Rule

    • Singular Example: Gingiva → Gingivae

    • Singular Example: Frenum → Frena

    • Singular Example: Sulcus → Sulci

    • Singular Example: Ganglion → Ganglia

    • Singular Example: Dentinoma → Dentinomata

    • Singular Example: Cementosis → Cementoses

    • Singular Example: Matrix → Matrices

    • Singular Example: Pulpectomy → Pulpitides

    • Singular Example: Biopsy → Biopsies

  • Note on Exceptions: Some words like "virus" → "viruses" do not follow the usual rules.

EXAMPLES OF PLURALS

  • Maxilla → maxillae

  • Matrix → matrices

  • Alveolus → alveoli

  • Cellulitis → cellulitides

  • Pharynx → pharynges

  • Necrosis → necroses

  • Osteoma → osteomae

  • Diagnosis → diagnoses

  • Biopsy → biopsies

  • Fungus → fungi

  • Apex → apicies

  • Bacillus → bacilli

  • Fulcrum → fulcra

  • Exostosis → exostoses

  • Index → indices

  • Calculus → calculi

  • Appendix → appendices

  • Gingiva → gingivae

  • Sulcus → sulci

  • Alveolus → alveoli

  • Vertebra → vertebrae

COMMON MEDICAL/DENTAL TERMINOLOGY

  • Glossa: Tongue

  • Supra-: Above/excessive

  • Peri-: Around/about

  • -troph/o: Growth

  • Mesi/o: Middle

  • Ab-: Away from

  • Stoma: Mouth

  • -oma: Tumor

  • Melan/o: Black

  • Hypo: Below normal, deficient

  • Hyper: Above normal, excessive

  • Trans: Across, through, beyond

  • Retro-: Backward, behind

  • Dys-: Bad, difficult

  • Mal-: Bad

  • -itis: Inflammation

  • Gingiv-: Gum of the mouth

  • Dent: Teeth

  • -otomy: To make an incision/cut

  • Necrosis: Death

  • Cheil/o: Lip

  • Hydro: Water

  • Mandible: Lower jaw

  • Next Class Topics: Levels of Language and Presentation Skills.

QUIZ TIME

  • Activity: Go to: joinmyquiz.com and enter the game code.