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