root).
Anatomical root (RO/AR): That part of a tooth that is apical to the cementoenamel junction (or anatomical crown).
Angular process: Caudoventral process (in carnivora).
Apex (AP): End of the root or reserve crown (plural: apices).
Apical delta: Multiple apical foramina forming a branching pattern at the apex of a mature tooth reminiscent of a river delta when sectioned and viewed through a microscope and occurring in some brachyodont teeth.
Apical foramen: Opening at the apex of a tooth, through which neurovascular structures pass to and from the dental pulp.
Articular disk: A flat structure composed of fibrocartilaginous tissue and positioned between the articular surfaces of the condylar process of the mandible and mandibular fossa of the temporal bone, separating the joint capsule into dorsal and ventral compartments; often incorrectly referred to as menisci.
Body of the mandible: The part that houses the teeth; often incorrectly referred to as horizontal ramus.
Canine (C): Canine tooth.
Cementoenamel junction: Area of a tooth where cementum and enamel meet.
Clinical crown (CR/CC): That part of a tooth that is coronal to the gingival margin; also called erupted crown in equines.
Clinical root (RO/CR): That part of a brachyodont tooth that is apical to the gingival margin.
Condylar process: Consists of mandibular head and mandibular neck; often incorrectly referred to as condyloid process.
Coronoid process: Process for the attachment of the temporal muscle.
Crown (C): Coronal portion of a tooth.
Deciduous: Deciduous and permanent are the anatomically correct terms to denote the two generations of teeth in diphyodont species.
Deciduous dentition period: That period during which only deciduous teeth are present.
Deciduous tooth (DT): Primary tooth which is replaced by a permanent (secondary) tooth.
Dental arch: Referring to the curving structure formed by the teeth in their normal position; upper dental arch formed by the maxillary teeth, lower dental arch formed by the mandibular teeth.
Enamel (E): Mineralized tissue covering the crowns of brachyodont teeth.
Facial vascular notch: Shallow indentation on the ventral aspect of the mandible, rostral to the angular process (absent in carnivores).
Incisive bones: The paired bones that house the maxillary incisors, located rostral to the maxillary bones, are the incisive bones, not the premaxilla.
Incisive part: The part that houses the incisors.
Incisors: Incisors will be referred to as (right or left) (maxillary or mandibular) first, second, or third incisors numbered from the midline.
Interarch: Referring to between the upper and lower dental arches.
Intermandibular joint (mandibular symphysis): Median connection of the bodies of the right and left mandibles (in adult Sus and Equus replaced by a synostosis), consisting of intermandibular synchondrosis and intermandibular suture.
Intermandibular suture: The larger part of the intermandibular joint formed by connective tissue.
Intermandibular synchondrosis: The smaller part of the intermandibular joint formed by cartilage.
Interquadrant: Referring to between the left and right upper or lower jaw quadrants.
Jaw quadrant: Referring to the left or right upper or lower jaw.
Lingual/Palatal: Lingual: The surface of a mandibular or maxillary tooth facing the tongue is the lingual surface. Palatal can also be used when referring to the lingual surface of maxillary teeth.
Mandible/mandibular (M/N): Referring to the lower jaw; all animals have two mandibles, not one; removing one entire mandible is a total mandibulectomy not a hemimandibulectomy.
Mandibular angle: Angle between the body and ramus of the mandible.
Mandibular canal: Contains a neurovascular bundle; often incorrectly referred to as the medullary cavity of the mandible.
Mandibular foramen: The entrance to the mandibular canal.
Mandibular fossa: Concave depression in the temporal bone that articulates with the mandibular head.
Mandibular head: Articular head of the condylar process.
Mandibular neck: Neck of the condylar process.
Mandibular notch: The notch on the caudal aspect, between the coronoid and condylar processes; not to be confused with the facial vascular notch.
Mandibular symphysis (SYM): Joint between the left and right mandibles (intermandibular joint).
Maxilla/maxillary (MX): Referring to the upper jaw; all mammals have two maxillas (or maxillae) and two mandibles. The adjective “maxillary” is often used in a wider sense, e.g. “maxillary fractures,” to include other facial bones, in addition to the maxillary bone itself.
Mental foramen (plural, foramina): Rostral, middle, and caudal mental foramina in the dog and cat.
Mesial/Distal: Mesial and distal are terms applicable to tooth surfaces. The mesial surface of the first incisor is next to the median plane; on other teeth it is directed toward the first incisor. The distal surface is opposite from the mesial surface.
Mixed dentition period: That period during which both deciduous and permanent teeth are present.
Molars (M): Molar tooth.
Molar part: The part that carries the premolars and molars; premolar‐molar part would probably have been more accurate.
Permanent dentition period: That period during which only permanent teeth are present.
Premolars (P): In the cat, the tooth immediately distal to the maxillary canine is the second premolar, the tooth immediately distal to the mandibular canine is the third premolar.
Pulp cavity: Space within the tooth.
Pulp chamber: Space within the crown of a tooth.
Ramus of the mandible: The part that carries the three processes; often incorrectly referred to as the vertical ramus.
Retroarticular process: A projection of the temporal bone that protrudes ventrally from the caudal end of the zygomatic arch and carries part of the mandibular fossa.
Root (RO): Radicular portion of a tooth.
Root canal: Space within the root of a tooth.
Rostral/Caudal: Rostral and caudal are the positional and directional anatomical terms applicable to the head in a sagittal plane in non‐human vertebrates. Rostral refers to a structure closer to, or a direction toward the most forward structure of the head. Caudal refers to a structure closer to, or a direction toward the tail. Anterior and posterior are terms used for mesial and distal in human dentistry.