| mesial caries | Caries on the tooth surface that is directed toward the median plane of the dental arch. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|
| mesial | <dentistry> Forward or front. For example your cuspid is medial to you bicuspid. The medial surface of your bicuspid is the part of the bicuspid closest to your cuspid. (08 Jan 1998) |
|---|---|
| mesial angle | The angle formed by the meeting of the mesial with the labial (or buccal) or lingual surface of a tooth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mesial displacement | Malposition of a tooth mesial to normal, in an anterior direction following the curvature of the dental arch. Synonym: mesial displacement, mesioplacement. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mesial occlusion | Occlusion in which the mandibular teeth articulate with the maxillary teeth in a position anterior to normal. Synonym: anterior occlusion, mesio-occlusion. Synonym: mesioclusion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| mesial surface of tooth | The contact surface of a tooth that is directed toward the median plane of the dental arch; opposite to the facies distalis dentis. Synonym: facies mesialis dentis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| active caries | Microbial-induced lesions of teeth that are increasing in size. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arrested dental caries | Carious lesions that have become inactive and stopped progressing; they may exhibit changes in colour and/or consistency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| buccal caries | Caries beginning with decay on the buccal surface of a tooth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| caries | 1. <pathology> The molecular decay or death of a bone, in which it becomes softened, discoloured and porous. It produces a chronic inflammation of the periosteum and surrounding tissues and forms a cold abscess filled with a cheesy, fetid, puslike liquid, which generally burrows through the soft parts until it opens externally by a sinus or fistula. 2. <dentistry> Another name for cavities due to tooth decay, dental caries. (18 Nov 1997) |
| radiation caries | Caries of the cervical regions of the teeth, incisal edges, and cusp tips secondary to xerostomia induced by radiation therapy to the head and neck. (05 Mar 2000) |
| recurrent caries | Caries recurring in an area due to inadequate removal of the initial decay, usually beneath a restoration or new decay at a site where caries has previously occurred. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cemental caries | <dentistry> Caries of the cementum of a tooth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| root caries | Dental caries involving the tooth root, cementum, or cervical area of the tooth. (12 Dec 1998) |
| root caries index | The ratio of the number of teeth with carious lesions of the root, and/or restorations of the root, to the number of teeth with exposed root surfaces. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pit and fissure caries | Caries initiated in the areas where developmental pits and fissures are located on the tooth surface. (05 Mar 2000) |