dentistry

American

[den-tuh-stree] / ˈdɛn tə stri /

noun

the profession or science dealing with the prevention and treatment of diseases and malformations of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity, and the removal, correction, and replacement of decayed, damaged, or lost parts, including such operations as the filling and crowning of teeth, the straightening of teeth, and the construction of artificial dentures.

dentistry British

/ ˈdɛntɪstrɪ /

noun

the branch of medical science concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the teeth and gums

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dentistry Scientific

/ dĕn′tĭ-strē /

The branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases of the teeth, gums, and other structures of the mouth.

Etymology

Origin of dentistry

First recorded in 1830–40; dentist + -ry

Vocabulary lists containing dentistry

Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The findings were published in the Journal of Dentistry.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

Researchers at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities College of Biological Sciences and the School of Dentistry set out to explore how bacteria in the mouth communicate and whether that communication could be deliberately disrupted.

From Science Daily • Dec. 16, 2025

In 1951 Perry Brickman and three Jewish friends enrolled in the Emory University School of Dentistry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Dreamtime Dentistry, the Vista, Calif., facility where Moreno underwent surgery, responded to the medical examiner’s report by saying the death was “not due to dosage but instead due to her rare but undiagnosed/undetected medical condition.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2025

The interest taken by one of this group in Army Dentistry inspires the wish that "the treatment of jaw-cases" mentioned by the Under-Secretary for War could be applied on the Parliamentary front.

From Mr. Punch's History of the Great War by Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023