Category: S

The joining of two or more teeth into a rigid unit.  

Joining of two or more teeth or implants into a rigid or nonrigid unit by means of fixed or removable restorations or devices. Fixation of a dislocation or fracture with a splint. Splints are also used to help support weak joints, to assist actively with functional movement, to immobilize to promote healing, and to protect…

In dentistry, the connection of two or more teeth into a nonmobile unit by means of fixed or removable restorations or appliances. In physiology, protracted muscle spasms that impede or prevent movement. A rigid or flexible device that maintains in position a displaced or movable part; also used to keep in place and protect an…

General term for any microorganism of the order Spirochaetales. This spiral, gram‐negative, highly motile bacterium is characterized by a flexible cell wall. It is markedly increased in number in diseased periodontal pockets. The major genus in diseased periodontal tissues is Treponema. Member of an order of microorganisms that have a slender, spiral shape. A bacteria…

A slight, pointed, needle‐like body, such as a small piece of bone. In dentistry, a bony fragment may be loose or attached to the maxilla or mandible after a tooth extraction. Small needle-like structure; Very small spike; Fine, fleshy, erect point (Lindley, 1848); Bentham’s term for an interpinnal seta. A small splinter of bone.  

A representative sample removed from the whole for analysis in order to make a diagnostic or histologic characterization. Dried plant or part of a plant in a herbarium, or any plant (part) collected for study. A part of a plant or an entire plant, either dried in a herbarium or living in a botanical garden.…

The ability of a diagnostic test to detect the absence of a disease in a healthy population. Specificity = true negatives divided by the sum of true negatives plus false positives, or TN/(FN + TN). True positives are correct positive diagnoses; false negatives are incorrect negative diagnoses. Diagnostic tests with high specificity are often used…

The dynamic air space between intraoral structures (e.g., the incisal or occlusal surfaces of the opposing teeth) during speech.  

The manipulation of material with a spatula to produce a homogenous mass.  

A flat‐bladed instrument used for mixing or spreading materials. The word spatula was adopted directly from Latin in the early sixteenth century as a name for a medical instrument used to stir ointments and potions. This medical sense remained the primary meaning of spatula until the twentieth century, when the utensil gradually came to be…