Dental and INBDE glossary

67 terms and abbreviations that show up in INBDE questions.

A

ADA: American Dental Association. The JCNDE, which governs the INBDE, is an agency of the ADA.
ALARA: "As low as reasonably achievable": the principle of keeping patient and operator radiation exposure as low as practical.
Alveolar osteitis: Dry socket. Painful loss or breakdown of the blood clot after an extraction, usually a few days later.
Amalgam: A restorative material made by mixing an alloy powder (silver, tin, copper) with mercury.
Ameloblastoma: A benign but locally aggressive odontogenic tumor, often a multilocular radiolucency in the posterior mandible.
ANB angle: A cephalometric measure of the relationship between the maxilla (point A) and mandible (point B); used to classify skeletal pattern.
Angle classification: Classes I, II and III of molar (and canine) relationship used to describe malocclusion.
Apical periodontitis: Inflammation of the periodontal ligament around the root tip, usually from pulp necrosis. Tender to percussion.
ASA classification: American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status scale (ASA I to VI) used to summarize a patient’s medical risk.

Biologic width: The space occupied by the junctional epithelium and supracrestal connective tissue attachment (about 2 mm total); restorations that violate it can cause inflammation.
Bitewing: An intraoral radiograph showing the crowns of upper and lower teeth together; best for interproximal caries and crestal bone.
BOP: Bleeding on probing. A marker of gingival inflammation.

C-factor: Configuration factor: the ratio of bonded to unbonded surfaces in a cavity; a high value increases polymerization stress.
CAL: Clinical attachment loss. The distance from the cemento-enamel junction to the base of the probed pocket.
CBCT: Cone-beam computed tomography. 3D imaging used when two-dimensional images are not enough, for example for implant planning or complex anatomy.
CEJ: Cemento-enamel junction. Where enamel meets cementum at the neck of the tooth.
Centric relation: A maxillomandibular relationship of the condyles in their most superior, anterior position in the glenoid fossae, independent of tooth contact.
CODA: Commission on Dental Accreditation. Accredits dental education programs in the United States.
Composite resin: A tooth-colored filling material made of a resin matrix and filler particles, bonded to tooth structure.

Dentigerous cyst: An odontogenic cyst attached at the cemento-enamel junction of an unerupted tooth, most often a lower third molar.
DENTPIN: Dental Personal Identification Number. Required to apply for the INBDE.
DMFT: Decayed, missing and filled teeth. An index of caries experience.

EDTA: A chelating agent used in endodontics to remove the smear layer from root canal walls.
Electric pulp test: A test that uses a small current to assess whether the pulp nerve fibers respond; it tests nerve response, not blood supply.

Ferrule: A band of tooth structure encircled by a crown, which improves resistance to fracture.
Furcation: The area between the roots of a multirooted tooth. Furcation involvement is graded by how far a probe enters.

Gingivitis: Inflammation of the gingiva without attachment loss; reversible with plaque control.
Glass ionomer: A restorative and luting material that bonds chemically to tooth structure and releases fluoride.

Hemostasis: The process of stopping bleeding: vascular constriction, platelet plug formation and the coagulation cascade.
HIPAA: US law protecting the privacy and security of patients’ health information.

IANB: Inferior alveolar nerve block, the standard injection for mandibular anesthesia.
INR: International normalized ratio. Used to monitor anticoagulation with warfarin.

JCNDE: Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. The ADA agency that governs the national board exams.

Kennedy classification: A system that classifies partially edentulous arches into Classes I to IV by the location of the edentulous areas.

Le Fort fractures: Classic midface fracture patterns: Le Fort I (horizontal), II (pyramidal) and III (craniofacial dysjunction).
Leukoplakia: A white patch that cannot be rubbed off or attributed to another condition; biopsy is needed because some show dysplasia.
Ludwig’s angina: A rapidly spreading cellulitis of the submandibular, sublingual and submental spaces that can threaten the airway.

Malocclusion: Any deviation from ideal occlusion.
MIP: Maximum intercuspation: the position of the teeth with the greatest contact between upper and lower teeth.
MRONJ: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, linked to antiresorptive and some other drugs.
MTA: Mineral trioxide aggregate. A biocompatible cement used for pulp capping, perforation repair and root-end fillings.

Nikolsky sign: Skin or mucosa shearing off with light rubbing; classic for pemphigus vulgaris.
NSAID: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Inhibits cyclooxygenase; common analgesic with GI, kidney and bleeding risks.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Sets workplace safety rules, including bloodborne pathogen and hazard communication standards.
Osseointegration: Direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a loaded implant.

Papoose board: A restraining device sometimes used for protective stabilisation of a child; requires informed parental consent.
PDL: Periodontal ligament. The connective tissue that attaches the tooth to the alveolar bone.
PFM: Porcelain-fused-to-metal crown.
PICO: A framework for an answerable clinical question: Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome.
Pleomorphic adenoma: The most common benign salivary gland tumor; usually in the parotid gland.
PPE: Personal protective equipment: gloves, masks, eye protection and protective clothing.
Pulpotomy: Removal of the coronal pulp with preservation of the radicular pulp; common in vital primary molars.

Rectangular collimation: Limiting the x-ray beam to the size of the receptor, which reduces patient dose.
RPD: Removable partial denture.

SDF: Silver diamine fluoride. A topical agent used to arrest caries.
SDS: Safety data sheet. Describes hazards and handling of a chemical; must be accessible in the workplace.
Sensitivity: The proportion of people with a disease whom a test correctly identifies.
Smear layer: A thin layer of debris on dentin or canal walls after instrumentation.
Specificity: The proportion of people without a disease whom a test correctly identifies as negative.
SRP: Scaling and root planing. Non-surgical removal of plaque, calculus and root surface deposits.
Standard precautions: Infection control practices applied to every patient: hand hygiene, PPE, safe injection practices and safe handling of instruments and surfaces.
Syneresis: Loss of water from a gel, such as alginate left in air, which causes shrinkage.

Tell-show-do: A behavior guidance technique: explain, demonstrate, then perform the procedure.
TMD: Temporomandibular disorders. Pain or dysfunction of the jaw joint and masticatory muscles.

VDO: Vertical dimension of occlusion: the vertical distance between the jaws when the teeth are in contact.

Xerostomia: Dry mouth. A subjective feeling of dryness, often from medications or radiation.