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Synonyms

caries

American  
[kair-eez, -ee-eez] / ˈkɛər iz, -iˌiz /

noun

  • caries
    plural
  1. decay, as of bone or of plant tissue.

  2. dental caries.


caries British  
/ ˈkɛəriːz /

noun

  1. progressive decay of a bone or a tooth

"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

caries Scientific  
/ kâr′ēz /
  • caries
    plural
  1. Decay of a bone or tooth. Dental plaque formed by bacteria initiates a progressive process of decay that, if left unchecked, leads to tooth loss.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of caries

First recorded in 1625–35, caries is from the Latin word cariēs decay

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.

See Examples For:

"With the advent of fluoridated toothpaste, other countries without fluoride in the drinking water have similar caries occurrence as the US."

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2024

Of the adults' teeth, 13% were affected by caries -- often at the roots.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2023

In the prospective analyses, caries was associated with 30 and bleeding on probing with 8 metabolites.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023

The capsule caries a precious cargo - a handful of dust grabbed from asteroid Bennu, a mountain-sized space rock that promises to inform the most profound of questions: Where do we come from?

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023

Among the other effects of dental caries may be mentioned localised necrosis of the alveolar margin, cellulitis of the neck, and enlargement of the cervical lymph glands.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

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