| A | B |
|---|
| Abbreviation | A shortened form of a word, usually just letters. |
| Abdominal | Pertaining to the cavity or area in the front of the body and containing the stomach, the small intestine, part of the large intestine, the liver, the gall bladder, the pancreas, and the spleen. |
| Abduction | Movement away from the midline. |
| Abrasion | Injury caused by rubbing or scraping the skin. |
| Absorption | Act or process of sucking up or in; taking in of nutrients. |
| Abuse | Any care that results in physical harm or pain, or mental anguish. |
| Accelerator | A chemical substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. |
| Acceptance | The process of receiving or taking; approval; belief. |
| Acculturation | Process of learning the beliefs and behaviors of a dominant culture and assuming some of the characteristics. |
| Acidosis | A pathological condition resulting from a disturbance in the acid-base balance in the blood and body tissues. |
| Activities of Daily Living (ADL) | Daily activities necessary to meet basic human needs; for example, feeding, dressing, and elimination. |
| Acute | Lasting a short period of time but relatively severe (e.g., an acute illness). |
| Addiction | State of being controlled by a habit, as can happen with alcohol and drugs. |
| Adduction | Movement toward the middle. |
| Adenitis | Inflammation of a gland or lymph node. |
| Adipose | Fatty tissue; fat. |
| Adolescence | Period of development from 12 to 20 years of age; teenage years. |
| Adrenal | One of two endocrine glands located one above each kidney. |
| Advance Directive | A legal document designed to indicate a person's wishes regarding care in case of terminal illness or during the dying process. |
| Aerobic | Requiring oxygen in order to live and grow. |
| Afebrile | Without a fever. |
| Affection | A warm or tender feeling toward another; fondness. |
| Agar Plate | Special laboratory dish containing agar, a gelatinous colloidal extract of a red alga, which is used to provide nourishment for growth of organisms. |
| Agent | Someone who has the power or authority to act as the representative of another. |
| Agglutination | Clumping together, as in the clumping together of red blood cells. |
| Agnostic | Person who believes that the existence of God cannot b proved or disproved. |
| Air Compressor | Machine that provides air under pressure; used in dental areas to provide air pressure to operate handpieces and air syringe. |
| Albino | Absence of all color pigments. |
| Alginate | Irreversible, hydrocolloid, dental-impression material. |
| Alignment | Positioning and supporting the body so that all body parts are in correct anatomical position. |
| Alimentary Canal | The digestive tract from the esophagus to the rectum. |
| Alopecia | Baldness. |
| Alternative Therapy | Method of treatment used in place of biomedical therapies. |
| Alveolar Process | Bone tissue of the maxilla and mandible that contains alveoli (sockets) for the roots of the teeth. |
| Alveoli | Microscopic air sacs in the lungs. |
| Alzheimer's Disease | Progressive, irreversible disease involving memory loss, disorientation, deterioration of intellectual function, and speech and gait disturbances. |
| Amalgam | Alloy (mixture) of various metals and mercury; restorative or filling material used primarily on posterior teeth. |
| Ambulate | To walk. |
| Amino Acid | The basic component of proteins. |
| Amputation | The cutting off or separation of a body part from the body. |
| Anaerobic | Not requiring oxygen in order to live and grow; able to thrive in the absence of oxygen. |
| Analgesia | The state of inability to feel pain yet still being conscious. |
| Anatomy | The study of the structure of an organism. |
| Anemia | Disease caused by lack of or an insufficient amount of red blood cells. |
| Anesthesia | The state of inability to feel sensation, especially the sensation of pain. |
| Anger | Feeling of displeasure or hostility; mad. |
| Anorexia | Loss of appetite. |
| Anorexia Nervosa | Psychological disorder involving loss of appetite and excessive weight loss not caused by a physical disease. |
| Anoxia | Without oxygen; synonymous with suffocation. |
| Antecubital | The space located on the inner part of the arm and near the elbow. |
| Anterior | Before or in front of. |
| Anterior Teeth | Teeth located toward the front of the mouth; includes incisor and cuspids. |
| Antibody | Substance, usually a protein, formed by the body to produce an immunity to an antigen or pathogen. |
| Antibody Screen | Test that checks for antibodies in the blood prior to a transfusion. |
| Anticoagulant | Substance that prevents clotting of the blood. |
| Antigen | Substance that causes the body to produce antibodies; may be introduced into the body or formed within the body. |
| Antioxidants | Enzymes or organic molecules; help protect the body from harmful chemicals called free radicals. |
| Antisepsis | Aseptic control that inhibits, retards growth of, or kills pathogenic organisms; not effective against spores and viruses. |
| Anuria | Without urine; producing no urine. |
| Anus | External opening of the anal canal, or rectum. |
| Aorta | Largest artery in the body; carries blood away from the heart. |
| Aortic Valve | Flap or cusp located between the left ventricle of the heart and the aorta. |
| Apathy | Indifference; lack of emotion. |
| Apex | The pointed extremity of a conelike structure; the rounded, lower end of the heart, below the ventricles. |
| Aphasia | Language impairment; loss of ability to communicate or speak normally. |
| Apical Foramen | The opening in the apex of a tooth; allows nerves and blood vessel to enter tooth. |
| Apical Pulse | Pulse taken with a stethoscope and near the apex of the heart. |
| Apnea | Absence of respirations; temporary cessation of respirations. |
| Apoplexy | A stroke; see cerebrovascular accident. |
| Appendicular Skeleton | The bones that form the limbs of extremities of the body. |
| Application Form | A form or record completed when applying for a job. |
| Appointment | A schedule to do something on a particular day and time. |
| Aquamatic Pad | Temperature-c0ontrolled unit that circulates warm liquid through a pad to provide dry heat. |
| Aqueous Humor | Water liquid that circulates in the anterior chamber of the eye. |
| Arrhythmia | Irregular or abnormal rhythm, usually referring to the heart rhythm. |
| Arterial | Pertaining to an artery. |
| Arteriole | Smallest branch of an artery; vessel that connects arteries to capillaries. |
| Arteriosclerosis | Hardening and/or narrowing of the walls of the arteries. |
| Artery | Blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart. |
| Arthritis | Inflammation of a joint. |
| Asepsis | Being free from infection. |
| Aspirate | To remove by suction. |
| Aspirating Syringe. | Special dental anesthetic syringe designed to hold carpules. |
| Assault | Physical or verbal attack on another person; treatment or care given to a person without obtaining proper consent. |
| Assistant | Level of occupational proficiency where an individual can work in on occupation after a period of education or on-the-job training. |
| Associate's Degree | Degree awarded by a vocational-technical school or community college after successful completion of two-year course of study or its equivalent. |
| Astigmatism | Defect or blurring of vision caused by irregularity of the cornea of the eye. |
| Atheist | Person who does not believe in any deity. |
| Atherosclerosis | Form of arteriosclerosis characterized by accumulation of fats or mineral deposits on the inner walls of the arteries. |
| Atrium | Also called an auricle; an upper chamber of the heart. |
| Atrophy | Wasting away of tissue; decrease in size. |
| Audiologist | Individual specializing in diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders. |
| Audiometer | Instrument used to test hearing and determine hearing defects. |
| Aural Temperature | Measurement of body temperature at the tympanic membrane in the ear. |
| Auricle | Also called pinna; external part of the ear. |
| Auscultation | Process of listening for sounds in the body. |
| Autoclave | Piece of equipment used to sterilize articles by way of steam under pressure and/or dry heat. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | That division of the nervous system concerned with reflex, or involuntary activities of the body. |
| Avulsion | A wound that occurs when tissue is separated from the body. |
| Axial Skeleton | The bones of the skull, rib cage, and spinal column; the bones that form the trunk of the body. |
| Ayer Blade | Wooden or plastic blade used to scrape cells from the cervix of the uterus; used for Pap tests. |
