25,729 articles
Dental Curing Lights
Dental curing lights (light-curing units, LCUs) are handheld blue-light devices that photopolymerize composite resins via camphorquinone activation at 455-481 nm; evolved from UV and halogen to LED units, with radiant exposure, blue-light hazard, and FDA 510(k) clearance as key issues.
Dental dam
Dental dam (rubber dam, Kofferdam): a thin latex or non-latex sheet isolating teeth during dental procedures, standard of care in endodontics; also a latex or polyurethane oral-sex barrier per CDC guidance.
Dental Debonding
Dental debonding (MeSH D017005): techniques for removing bonded orthodontic appliances, restorations, or fixed dentures from teeth. Key issue is iatrogenic enamel damage during adhesive clean-up; tungsten carbide burs dominate the evidence.
Dental Digital Radiography
Dental digital radiography captures dental X-rays with electronic receptors instead of film. Also called RVG or radiovisiography; began 1987 with CCD sensors, PSP plates followed in 1994; cuts dose 50-80%.
Dental Etching
Dental acid etching: phosphoric acid conditioning of enamel and dentin for resin bonding, introduced by Buonocore in 1955; covers etch-and-rinse, self-etch, and universal adhesive strategies.
Dental examination
A dental examination is a clinical assessment in which a practitioner inspects the teeth, gums, and oral tissues to detect cavities, gum disease, and other oral conditions.
Dental extraction
Dental extraction (tooth removal, tooth pulled) is removal of a tooth from its socket, simple or surgical. Key facts: Hammurabi-era records, Wells 1844 nitrous oxide, Morton 1846 ether, dry socket 5–10%.
Dental floss
Dental floss, or dental tape, is a nylon or plastic filament for cleaning between teeth where brushes cannot reach. ADA advises once-daily use; Cochrane finds low-certainty evidence it may reduce gingivitis.
Dental fluorosis
Dental fluorosis, also called mottled enamel or Colorado Brown Stain, is hypomineralized, discolored tooth enamel from excess fluoride ingested during childhood tooth development, mostly mild and cosmetic in the U.S.
Dental Health Surveys
Dental health surveys are organized collections of data on dental and oral health and disease in a population of a specified geographic region, underpinning national and global oral disease estimates.
Dental High-Speed Equipment
Dental high-speed equipment (High Speed Dental Equipment, MeSH D003754) covers dental tools operating at high rotation speeds, chiefly air-turbine and electric handpieces reaching hundreds of thousands of rpm, commercialized from the 1957 Borden Airotor.
Dental High-Speed Technique
Dental High-Speed Technique is the MeSH-designated category of dental methods using high-speed equipment, chiefly the air-turbine handpiece introduced commercially as the Airotor in 1957, running at roughly 250,000-400,000 rpm for cutting enamel and dentin.
Dental hygienist
Dental hygienist, or registered dental hygienist (RDH): licensed preventive oral health professional created by Alfred C. Fones in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1913; cleans teeth, applies sealants and fluoride, educates patients; median US wage $98,100 in 2025.
Dental Hypnosis
Dental hypnosis is the induction of a trance-like state to ease anxiety and pain during dental treatment, cataloged by the National Library of Medicine since 1965.
Dental implant
Dental implant: threaded titanium or zirconia root-form device osseointegrated into jaw bone to support crowns, bridges, or dentures; ~96% 10-year survival, peri-implantitis in about 21% of patients, FDA class II device.
Dental Implant-Abutment Design
Dental implant-abutment design covers how the abutment connects to the implant fixture: external hexagon, internal hexagon, and Morse taper connections, microgap and screw preload mechanics, and platform switching, which reduces marginal bone loss (0.33 vs 0.66 mm).
Dental Implantation, Endosseous, Endodontic
Dental implantation, endosseous, endodontic (endodontic stabilization): a tapered rod placed through the tooth root canal into periapical bone to lengthen the root and stabilize a compromised tooth; a MeSH-indexed procedure since 1977.
Dental Impression Technique
Dental impression technique: producing a negative likeness of teeth and oral tissues with materials such as alginate and elastomers, or digital scans, for crowns, dentures, and prostheses.
Dental Infection Control
Dental infection control: CDC Standard Precautions-based practices preventing disease transmission in dental settings, covering hand hygiene, PPE, sharps safety, safe injections, sterilization, and waterline management.
Dental Instruments
Dental instruments: handheld and powered tools (mirrors, scalers, handpieces, endodontic files) for examining and treating teeth; classified critical, semicritical, or noncritical, with heat sterilization and CDC/ADA/ISO standards governing reprocessing.
Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is coverage that pays part of the cost of dental care through employer plans, government programs, or individual policies, usually sold separately from medical insurance.
Dental Marginal Adaptation
Dental marginal adaptation is the fit of a filling or prosthetic margin to the tooth surface, measured as the marginal gap in micrometers, assessed by direct view, replica, or micro-CT methods.
Dental Models
Dental models are devices for patient education and technique training in dentistry, from Fergus's 1894 phantom head and acrylic typodonts to 3D-printed and VR haptic simulators.
Dental notation
Dental notation systems designate individual teeth: FDI two-digit (ISO 3950, international standard), Universal 1-32/A-T (US standard), and Palmer quadrant-bracket notation. Same tooth can be 8, 11, or 1┘ depending on system.
Dental Occlusion
Dental occlusion is the contact relationship between the teeth of the upper and lower jaws, studied both as static contacts at rest and as dynamic contacts during chewing.
Dental Offices
Dental Offices: the rooms and office suites where dentists and dental staff provide care (MeSH D003770). Covers staffing, CDC infection-control rules, history from the 1840 Baltimore dental school, and independent versus chain practice.
Dental Photography
Dental photography: macro imaging of teeth and oral tissues for standardized clinical documentation. Uses DSLR with 100-135mm 1:1 macro lens and twin or ring flash; led by orthodontics since 1840; now includes smartphones and AI.
Dental Pins
Dental pins are small cylindrical pieces of metal or fiber-reinforced material drilled into dentin to retain a restoration or core buildup when little tooth structure remains.
Dental plaque
Dental plaque: a multispecies microbial biofilm on tooth surfaces, first observed by van Leeuwenhoek in 1684; primary cause of caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis; hardens into calculus if not removed daily.
Dental plaque index
A dental plaque index is a clinical scoring method that quantifies plaque on tooth surfaces, used to assess oral hygiene, monitor treatment, and motivate patients.