dent

Dent- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “tooth.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms, including in dentistry.

Dent- comes from the Latin dēns, meaning “tooth.” Greek words for “tooth” are odṓn, source of the combining forms odonto- and -odont, and odoús, source of the combining form –odus.

The word dent, as in “a hollow or depression in a surface,” does not share a root with the combining form dent-. Learn where dent comes from at our entry for the word.

What are variants of dent-?

Dent- is a variant of dento-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use dento- article.

Another, more common, variant of dent-, especially before a form with a Latin root, is denti-, as in dentiform.

A word you may have come across related to dent- is dentist, from the French dentiste. A dentist is “a person whose profession is dentistry, the prevention and treatment of diseases and malformations of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity.”

We know dent- refers to “tooth,” so what does the -ist portion of the word mean? The suffix -ist denotes “a person who practices or is concerned with something.” A dentist is literally a “tooth-ist”!

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form dent-?

• dental
• dentalgia
• dentalium
• dentine
• dentin
• dentoid

What are some other forms that dent- may be commonly confused with?

• dendr-
• dendro-

The combining form -algia means “pain.” With this in mind, what is dentalgia?