Portal:Dentistry

The Dentistry Portal

Dentistry is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions, diseases, and disorders of the oral cavity, the maxillofacial region, and its associated structures as it relates to human beings. Dentists, with the aide of other dental auxiliaries, frequently . X-rays and other equipment to ensure correct diagnosis and treatment planning. Treatment may include filling dental cavities, removing the nerves of teeth during root canal treatment, treating diseases of the gingiva, removing teeth during extractions, and replacing lost teeth with bridges, dentures, and implants. Anesthesia is often used in any treatment that might cause pain. Teeth may be filled with gold, silver, amalgam, porcelain. There are numerous soft tissues diseases of the mouth that are treated in dentistry. The most common pathologies are periodontitis, trauma, aphthous ulcers, herpes simplex virus and fibromas.

Disease prevention of is an important aspect to dentistry. Regular oral hygiene is recommended, and the most common instruments including toothbrushes and dental floss. Limiting the frequency of sugar consumption is usually stressed. The dental significance of fluorides was discovered in the 1930s. Since then water fluoridation and topical applications of fluoride have become a valuable tool in the prevention of tooth decay.

Selected article

Dental caries, also described as tooth decay or dental cavities, is an infectious disease which damages the structures of teeth. The disease can lead to pain, tooth loss, infection, and, in severe cases, death. An estimated 90% of schoolchildren worldwide and most adults have experienced cavities, with the disease being most prevalent in Asian and Latin American countries and least prevalent in African countries. In the United States, dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease, being at least five times more common than asthma. It is the primary cause of tooth loss in children. Between 29% and 59% of adults over the age of fifty experience caries.

There are numerous ways to classify dental caries, but the risk factors and development among distinct types of caries remain largely similar. Tooth decay is caused by certain types of acid-producing bacteria which cause the most damage in the presence of fermentable carbohydrates such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The resulting acidic levels in the mouth affect teeth because a tooth's special mineral content causes it to be sensitive to low pH. Depending on the extent of tooth destruction, various treatments can be used to restore teeth to proper form, function, and aesthetics, but there is no known method to regenerate large amounts of tooth structure. Instead, dental health organizations advocate preventative measures, such as regular oral hygiene and dietary modifications, to avoid dental caries.

...Nominations • Archive

Read more...

Selected picture

Credit: Dr. Leonard Weiss

Dental braces are a device used in orthodontics to correct alignment of teeth and their position with regard to occlusion. They are often used for malocclusions such as underbites, overbites, cross bites, open bites, or crooked teeth. Most orthodontic patients are children or teenagers, however, more adults have been seeking orthodontic treatment.

...Nominations • Archive

Read more...

Did you know...

• ...that black hairy tongue (pictured) is a condition caused by defective desquamation of the filiform papillae and may appear after antibiotic use?
• ...that the miswak is a natural toothbrush that can be made from the twigs of the Salvadora persica tree?
• ...that the field of oral microbiology studies the microorganisms of the mouth and their role in the development of dental caries and periodontal disease?

Things you can do

Cleanup: Dental restoration • Mouth ulcer • Crown (dentistry) • tooth abscess Expand: Pedodontics • Dental pulp • Enamelin • Ameloblastin • Tuftelin • Guided bone regeneration • Dental amalgam controversy Requests: Dentist • Dental trauma Current Collaboration: yet to be chosen

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in Dentistry WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about dentistry.

• Dentistry
• Drugs
• First aid
• Health
• Medicine
  • Alternative medicine
  • Clinical medicine
    • Radiology
  • Preclinical Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Medical Genetics
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Cell Signaling
• National Health Service
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Viruses

Main topics