Category: S

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…

A sudden, involuntary, generally painful contraction of a muscle, or groups of muscle fibers. Sudden, violent involuntary muscular contraction. Involuntary contraction of a muscle or a muscle fiber. An intense, involuntary, usually painful contraction of a muscle or group of muscles. A sudden, usually painful, involuntary contraction of a muscle, as in cramp. An involuntary…

Property of surgical site capable of maintaining a space under a membrane for the purpose of guided bone regeneration (GBR). This may be provided by (a) defect morphology in either three‐wall or two‐wall defects; (b) use of bone grafts or substitutes to support the membrane; (c) membrane itself, which is rigid and stable enough to…

Serial measurement of the thickness of intraoral soft tissue in order to map the topography of the underlying bone.  

An instrument vibrating in the sonic range (approximately 6000 cps) that, accompanied by a stream of water, can be used to remove adherent deposits from teeth.    

Application of sound energy to agitate particles in a solution. Often used to create air bubbles through cavitation in order to disrupt microorganisms.  

The science of artificial replacement of missing or deformed parts of the body with medical‐grade silicone, glass, and/or acrylic. Often these prostheses are anchored to the body through the use of osseointegrated implants with clips, snaps, or magnets.  

A root‐form threaded dental implant of a circular cross‐section without any vents or holes penetrating the implant body.  

Additive fabrication, layered manufacturing. A collection of techniques for manufacturing solid objects by the sequential delivery of energy and/or material to specified points in space to produce that solid.