Dental Glossary

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the field of dentistry or simply have a general interest in health issues, you will benefit from a dental glossary of terms. Several factors contribute to the need for a well-organized resource for this specific terminology. Like most medical disciplines, dentistry utilizes a complex vernacular that is highly technical. Dental terms are also not regularly employed in mainstream conversation which makes them more difficult to commit to memory. Finally, the sheer volume of words that apply specifically to the dental profession requires an organized, easily accessible system that can be quickly queried.

Where to Find a Dental Glossary of Terms Online

The Internet has made information more accessible than any other technological advancement that has come before it. However, because of the tremendous amount of choices available to those who surf the information superhighway for answers, zeroing in on credible, quality sources can be challenging.

Each of the sites below fulfills a unique purpose. Some are more technical and are designed for the serious student or the individual who works in the field of dentistry. Others are geared more towards the general population and offer easy to understand, clearly presented information on a variety of health related issues. Depending on your specific needs, there is most certainly an online dental glossary that is perfect for you.

  • Dental Glossary: Dental Glossary advertises a database of over 2,500 dental terms. Two options are available for accessing terminology. If you know the word you are looking for and can spell it correctly, you can directly search the glossary of terms. Conversely, you can browse the glossary by the first letter of the word or term you are looking for. Clean, professional, and powerful, Dental Glossary is perfect for the individual with a serious interest in dentistry.
  • American Dental Association: The American Dental Association is the premier professional association for dentists in the United States. This glossary is comprehensive and can be browsed alphabetically. In addition to the database of dental terms, the ADA's Web site offers information for educators, students, and job seekers and even has a section with oral hygiene related games.
  • CIGNA: CIGNA, one of the largest providers of dental and health insurance in the country, has a concise database of dental terms that are also organized alphabetically. You can also search for a doctor or dentist and find information on insurance plans on CIGNA's site.
  • WebMD: One of the Internet's most popular destinations for health information, WebMD has a dedicated dental glossary of terms as part of their oral health center. The oral health center has comprehensive information on all aspects of oral health, including articles on the latest dental research, a question and answer section, a forum where you can communicate with others about oral health, and even a section with educational oral health videos.
  • Doc Shop: Like the above Web sites, Doc Shop provides an adequate dental glossary of terms. However, Doc Shop offers glossaries relating to common dental problems, cosmetic dentistry, laser dentistry, orthodontics, restorative dentistry, and sedative dentistry. In addition, patient education topics on bariatrics, cosmetic surgery, dermatology, fertility, and vision are also provided.
  • eMedicine Health: The resources at eMedicine Health are not as comprehensive as other sites, but the terms covered are the most commonly used terms relating to dentistry. The concise list is easy to browse and the presentation of the Web site is clean and well organized. This resource is perfect for the individual with more general needs.

Related Resources

If the above information was of interest to you, please feel free to visit some of the other resources yourDictionary has to offer.

Back to Top