Glossary

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Leukocyte

    Blood cell that is colorless, lacks hemoglobin, and contains a nucleus. Leukocytes are involved with host defense and are classified in two large groups: granular leukocytes (basophils, eosinophils, and neutrophils) and nongranular leukocytes (lymphocytes and monocytes). Called also white blood cell. White blood cell (WBC). There are five types of leukocytes: three granulocytes with granules…

  • Leukemia

    A generalized neoplastic disorder of the blood‐forming tissues, primarily those of the leukocyte series. Cancer of blood-forming tissue. A progressive, maglinant disease of the blood-forming organs, marked by distorted proliferation and development of leukocytes and their precursors in the blood and bone marrow. Cancer of the blood and lymphatic systems. There are two kinds of…

  • Traumatic l

    A self‐inflicted (factitious), accidental, or iatrogenic injury which may manifest as recession, abrasions, ulcerations, lacerations, erythematous or white lesions, or combinations of several of these features.  

  • Chemically induced l

    A lesion resulting from local contact with chemically irritating substances such as aspirin, cocaine, pyrophosphates, detergents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate), smokeless tobacco, betel nut, and tooth‐ whitening agents.  

  • Lesion

    Lesion

    Any pathological change to a tissue or organ, local in nature, caused by injury, surgical procedures, chemicals, or infection that may result in a loss of normal function. An area of abnormal tissue change. Any discontinuity or disruption of tissue caused by disease or trauma. A break in the cellular integrity of a tissue or…

  • Leptotrichia ssp

    Gram‐negative, nonmotile, anaerobic, rod‐shaped bacteria found in marginal and subgingival plaque.  

  • Lengthening of the clinical crown

    A surgical procedure performed to increase the extent of supragingival tooth structure by apically repositioning the gingival tissue around the tooth; often includes removing a portion of the surrounding alveolar bone. This procedure is typically performed for restorative or esthetic purposes.  

  • Leaf gauge

    Leaf gauge

    A device consisting of a set of blades or leaves of graduated thicknesses that is placed in the oral cavity to make accurate measurements between two points or to provide a metered separation.  

  • Le Fort osteotomy

    Surgical sectioning of the maxilla from the rest of the skull. Le Fort I osteotomy sections the midface through the walls of the maxillary sinuses, the lateral nasal walls, and the nasal septum, just superior to the apices of the maxillary teeth. Le Fort II osteotomy is similar to Le Fort I, except that instead…

  • Le Fort fracture (Leon Clement Le Fort, French surgeon, 1829–1893)

    Eponym for a midfacial fracture, classified into three categories (I, II, III). Le Fort I fracture: horizontal segmented fracture of the alveolar process of the maxilla, in which the teeth are usually contained within the detached portion. Le Fort II fracture: pyramidal fracture of the midfacial skeleton with the principal fracture lines meeting at an…

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