edgepedia

Human health and medicine

25,729 articles

Dengue without warning signs

Dengue without warning signs (ICD-11 1D20) is the mildest WHO 2009 dengue category: fever with non-specific symptoms, no alarm signs, managed as an outpatient, though severe dengue can still develop.

Denis A. Cortese

Denis A. Cortese is an American physician in pulmonary and critical-care medicine who served as President and CEO of the Mayo Clinic from 2002 to 2009.

Denise Austin

Denise Austin (born 1957) is an American fitness instructor and TV personality, co-host of The Jack LaLanne Show, Today show fitness expert, and host of ESPN and Lifetime workout shows, with over 25 million videos sold and 12 books.

Dennis E. Discher

Dennis E. Discher is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Pennsylvania known for showing that matrix stiffness directs stem cell fate, elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012.

Dennis S. O’Leary

Dennis Sophian O'Leary (1937–2023) was an American physician-executive who served 21 years as president of the Joint Commission, the private accreditor of US health care organizations.

Denosumab

Denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva) is a human IgG2 monoclonal antibody against RANKL that inhibits osteoclasts; FDA-approved 2010 for osteoporosis and bone metastases, with a 2024 boxed warning for severe hypocalcemia in advanced kidney disease.

Dent disease

Dent disease (Dent syndrome): rare X-linked proximal tubulopathy with low-molecular-weight proteinuria and hypercalciuria; CLCN5 variants cause type 1, OCRL variants type 2; 30-80% of males reach kidney failure.

Dental abscess

Dental abscess (periapical or periodontal abscess): a pus collection in teeth, gums, or jaw bone from bacterial infection. Needs urgent drainage plus root canal or extraction; antibiotics only for spreading or systemic infection.

Dental Abutments

A dental abutment is the part of a dental implant that connects the implant anchored in the jawbone to the visible restoration, such as a crown, bridge, or denture.

Dental age estimation

Dental age estimation is a forensic and anthropological method that estimates age from tooth development and degenerative changes, reported as an age interval rather than a point estimate.

Dental Air Abrasion

Dental air abrasion (kinetic cavity preparation, airborne-particle abrasion) is a drill-free dental technique propelling aluminum oxide particles in compressed air to remove caries, clean dentin, and prepare surfaces, invented by Robert Black in 1945 and marketed as the Airdent in 1951.

Dental anesthesia

Dental anesthesia: pain control in dentistry via injectable local anesthetics (lidocaine, articaine, prilocaine) blocking sodium channels, plus sedation and general anesthesia; governed by ADA 2025 guidelines and state rules.

Dental ankylosis

Dental ankylosis, or tooth ankylosis, is fusion of cementum with alveolar bone obliterating the periodontal ligament, usually after trauma; it causes infraocclusion and is distinguished from PFE (PTH1R).

Dental Articulators

Dental articulators are mechanical or digital devices simulating mandibular movements and maxillomandibular relationships for occlusal analysis and prosthesis fabrication. Also called virtual articulators in software form; types include hinge, semiadjustable, fully adjustable, completely adjustable, and mathematically simulated.

Dental Assistants

Dental assistants support dentists with patient care, x-rays, sterilization, and office tasks; the largest group in dentistry (about 388,600 US jobs, median pay $48,070 in May 2025), with roots in 1885 New Orleans and CDA certification since 1948.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding (composite bonding) applies tooth-colored composite resin or dental cement, hardened by light or chemical curing, to repair chips, close gaps, reshape teeth, or attach orthodontic and restorative appliances; lasts about 3 to 10 years.

Dental braces

Dental braces: fixed orthodontic appliances of brackets, wire, and elastics that straighten teeth and correct bites over 1 to 2 years, followed by retainer wear; distinct from clear aligners.

Dental Care

Dental care: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases by dentists and hygienists. Covers financing models (Nordic, Bismarckian, Beveridgian), 3.5 billion affected globally, US insurance gaps, and professional history.

Dental Care for Aged

Dental care for aged (geriatric dentistry, gerodontology) covers older people's special dental needs, from frailty-adapted assessment and prevention to end-of-life care, shaped by retained teeth, multimorbidity, and access barriers.

Dental Care for Children

Dental care for children, or pediatric dentistry, covers preventive and therapeutic oral health from infancy through adolescence. Key facts: dental home by 12 months, fluoride toothpaste, sealants, caries-risk assessment.

Dental Care for Chronically Ill

Dental Care for Chronically Ill (MeSH D017742): professional dental care for patients with chronic cardiovascular, endocrinologic, hematologic, immunologic, neoplastic, or renal disease, distinct from dental care for disabled persons, with periodontitis-diabetes links and medical-dental integration.

Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities

Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities, or special care dentistry, serves people unable to accept routine dental care due to physical, intellectual, sensory, or other impairments; covers access barriers, ADA and Section 1557 duties, sedation guidelines, and organizations like SCDA and iADH.

Dental Caries Activity Tests

Dental caries activity tests measure the increment of active caries over time; modern lesion activity assessment relies on visual-tactile criteria, not saliva-based Snyder or lactobacillus tests.

Dental Casting Technique

Dental casting technique is the dental process of casting metal or plaster restorations in a mold, chiefly the lost-wax casting of crowns, bridges, and denture frameworks.

Dental Cavity Lining

Dental cavity lining: placement of a protective liner (calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, calcium silicate) on prepared cavity walls to shield the pulp. Trials show liners give no consistent benefit over no liner; guidelines advise selective use.

Dental cavity preparation

Dental cavity preparation is the restorative dentistry procedure of removing decayed tooth structure and shaping the cavity so a filling, inlay, or onlay stays retained under chewing forces.

Dental Clasps

Dental clasps are metal direct retainers that stabilize and retain removable partial dentures by engaging undercuts on abutment teeth. Also called denture clasps; typically cobalt-chromium or titanium, with RPI and bar clasp designs.

Dental Clinics

Dental clinics are facilities delivering organized oral health care in private, school, community health center, and portable settings, governed by CDC instrument sterilization classes, income-based access programs, and teledentistry policy.

Dental composite

Dental composite (resin-based composite) is a tooth-colored direct filling material of resin matrix, filler, and silane coupling agent, developed from Bowen's BisGMA in the 1960s, light-cured with camphorquinone, and limited by polymerization shrinkage.

Dental curing

Dental curing is the polymerization hardening of resin composites, adhesives, and cements used to fill and bond teeth, activated by a curing light, a chemical system, or both combined.