Dental Terminology and Concepts Flashcards

Dental Professionals

• Dentist

• Prosthodontist: Specializes in the restoration and replacement of teeth with artificial substitutes.

• Periodontist: Focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease, and in the placement of dental implants.

• Orthodontist: Specializes in the alignment of teeth and jaws.

• Pediatric dentist (pedodontist): Dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy through the teenage years.

• Endodontist: Treats diseases of the dental pulp and periradicular tissues.

• Oral and maxillofacial surgeon: Performs surgical procedures on the mouth, jaws, and facial structures.

• Public health dentist: Works to prevent and control dental diseases and promote oral health through organized community efforts.

• Oral pathologist: Diagnoses and manages diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions.

• Oral and maxillofacial radiologist: Specializes in the interpretation of radiographic images for the diagnosis of diseases in the oral and maxillofacial regions.

• Forensic dentist: Applies dental knowledge to legal investigations, primarily in identifying human remains.

• Registered dental hygienist: Provides preventive and therapeutic oral health services.

• Dental assistant: Assists the dentist during treatments and procedures.

• Dental laboratory technician: Fabricates dental prostheses and appliances according to the dentist’s prescriptions.

• Denturist: Independently provides complete and partial dentures directly to patients (where legally allowed).

• Other professionals:

  • Dental supply/detail person

  • Dental equipment technicians

  • Dental manufacturers and suppliers

Class Participation

• Discussion on the appealing/interesting dental professional roles.

• Sharing experiences of working in different specialties.

Places of Employment

• Solo practices

• Partnerships

• Group practices

• Clinics and hospitals

• Specialty practices

• Miscellaneous practice sites

• Hospital Dentistry

• DSO (ex: PDS)

Dental Hand Instruments

• Components:

  • Hand grasp instruments

  • Shaft or handle

  • Shank

  • Working end

• Basic setup

• Periodontal grouping

• Restorative grouping

• Filing and finishing grouping

• Evacuation equipment

• Assorted instruments

Basic Diagnostic Setup

Dental Explorers

Periodontal Curets

• Area Specific

• Universal

Cleansing and Polishing

Dental Facility Operative Equipment

• Use and care of equipment

• Operatories

• Dental units

• Dental chairs

• Instruments

• Cabinets

• Lights

• Stools

• Radiographic units

• Diagnostic or auxiliary units

Evacuation

Radiography

Definition and Production of X-Rays

• Parts of X-ray tube:

  • Cathode: Negative electrode that emits electrons.

  • Filament: A coil of wire that produces electrons when heated.

  • Anode: Positive electrode that attracts electrons from the cathode.

  • Focal spot: Small area on the anode where X-rays are produced.

  • Aluminum filter: Removes low-energy X-rays from the beam.

  • Collimator: Restricts the size and shape of the X-ray beam.

  • Aperture: Opening in the collimator that shapes the X-ray beam.

  • Filter

  • PID (Position Indicating Device): Aims and aligns the X-ray beam.

• Control factors:

  • Milliampere (mA): Controls the quantity of electrons produced.

  • Kilovolt power (kVp): Controls the penetrating power of the X-rays.

  • Exposure time: Duration of X-ray emission.

  • Target-film distance

  • Target-object distance

  • Film speed

• Types of radiation:

  • Primary: The original X-ray beam emitted from the tube.

  • Secondary: Radiation produced when the primary beam interacts with matter.

  • Scattered: Radiation that has changed direction after interacting with matter.

  • Leakage: Radiation that escapes from the X-ray tube housing.

X-ray Tube Head

• Useful x-ray beam

• Tungsten target (focal spot)

• Higher contrast image due to decrease in kVp

• Lower contrast image due to increase in kVp

• Brighter image due to decrease in mA and/or exposure time

• Darker image due to increase in mA and/or exposure time

Different Types of Radiation

Radiation Protection

• Dosimeter Badge: Measures the amount of radiation exposure.

• Lead Aprons: Protect patients and operators from scatter radiation.

Conventional Radiographs

• Periapical film packet: Captures images of the entire tooth and surrounding bone.

• Bitewing film packet: Captures images of the crowns of the teeth and alveolar crest.

• Occlusal film packet: Larger film used to capture images of large areas of the maxilla or mandible.

• Extraoral film

• Film speeds (A-F)

• Cephalometric film/headplate: Used for cephalometric radiographs to evaluate facial growth and development.

• Cephalostat: A device used to position the patient’s head for cephalometric radiographs.

• Panoramic radiograph: Provides a wide view of the entire dentition and surrounding structures.

• Intensifying screen

Sample Dental X-ray film (Intraoral)

Intraoral Radiographs

• Bitewing

• Periapical

Film Holding Devices

Digital Sensor Holder

NOMAD portable X-ray Unit

Technique Errors

• Foreshortening: Image appears shorter than actual size due to excessive vertical angulation.

• Elongation: Image appears longer than actual size due to insufficient vertical angulation.

• Overlapping: Crowns and roots of adjacent teeth overlap each other in the image.

• Cone Cut: Part of the image is missing because the X-ray beam was not properly centered on the film or sensor.

Digital Presentation of Full-mouth Series

Extraoral Radiographs

• Cephalometric

• Panoramic

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)

Anatomy and Oral Structures

Anatomy of the Skull (1 of 3)

• Cranium: 8 bones

  • Temporal (2)

  • Parietal (2)

  • Frontal

  • Occipital

  • Ethmoid

  • Sphenoid

Cranial Bones

Anatomy of the Skull (2 of 3)

• Facial: 14 bones

  • Zygomatic (2)

  • Maxillary (2)

  • Palatine (2)

  • Nasal (2)

  • Lacrimal (2)

  • Inferior nasal conchae (2)

  • Mandible

  • Vomer

Facial Bones

Miscellaneous Bones of the Skill

• Hyoid: horseshoe shaped, lying at the base of the tongue.

• Auditory ossicles:

  • Malleus: largest, looks like little hammer

  • Incus: the anvil

  • Stapes: the stirrup

Anatomical Features of the Skull (1 of 6)

• Sinuses:

  • Ethmoid

  • Sphenoid

  • Frontal

  • Maxillary

Sinuses

Muscles of Mastication

5th Cranial Nerve: Trigeminal

• Three Divisions

  • V1: Ophthalmic (sensory)

  • V2: Maxillary (sensory)

  • V3: Mandibular (sensory and motor)

Trigeminal Nerve - Location and Functions (2 of 3)

• Maxillary V2:

  • Anterior palatine

  • Middle palatine

  • Posterior palatine

  • Nasopalatine

  • Infraorbital

  • Zygomatic sphenopalatine

Foramen of the Palate

Trigeminal Nerve Location and Functions (3 of 3)

• Mandibular

  • Inferior alveolar

  • Mental

  • Incisive

  • Buccal

  • Lingual

Mandibular Branch of Trigeminal Nerve

Foramen of the Mandible

• Mandibular

• Mental

• Lingual

Salivary Glands

Locations and Purposes of the Salivary Glands

• Supply secretions to oral cavity:

  • Serum

  • Mucin

  • Enzymes

• Glands:

  • Parotid: Largest salivary gland, located in the cheek.

  • Submandibular: Located beneath the mandible; contributes a significant amount of saliva.

  • Sublingual: Smallest of the major salivary glands, located under the tongue.

Tooth Origin and Formation

Classification of the Human Dentition

• Deciduous (baby teeth or primary)

• Permanent (succedaneous): The set of teeth that replaces the primary teeth.

• Mixed (deciduous and permanent)

• Heterodont – different tooth shapes such as molars, incisors, canines

The Primary Dentition

Mixed Dentition

The Permanent Dentition

Histological States of Tooth Development

• Tooth development

  • Odontoblasts: Cells that form dentin.

  • Ameloblasts: Cells that form enamel.

  • Cementoblasts: Cells that form cementum.

  • Fibroblasts

  • Osteoblasts

Histological States of Tooth Development (2 of 4)

• Specialized cells

  • Odontoclasts

  • Cementoclasts

  • Osteoclasts

Tissue Structure of the Teeth

• Enamel: 96% inorganic

• Dentin: 70% inorganic

• Pulp: blood supply, nerve

• Cementum: 55% inorganic

Four Types of Teeth

Odontology/Morphology

• Maxillary

• Mandibular

• Arch

• Quadrant

• Anterior

• Posterior

• Types of teeth

  • Incisor

  • Canine/cuspid

  • Premolar/bicuspid

  • Molar

• Crown

  • Clinical

  • Anatomical

Tooth Surfaces

• Facial/buccal/labial

• Lingual

• Mesial

• Distal

• Incisal/occlusal

• Apical