dental

[den-tl]

adjective

1. of or relating to the teeth.

2. of or relating to dentistry or a dentist.

3. Phonetics.

   1. (of a speech sound) articulated with the tongue tip touching the back of the upper front teeth or immediately above them, as French t.

   2. alveolar, as English t.

   3. interdental.

noun

1. Phonetics.,  a dental sound.

dental

/ ˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the teeth

2. of or relating to dentistry

3. phonetics

   1. pronounced or articulated with the tip of the tongue touching the backs of the upper teeth, as for t in French tout

   2. (esp in the phonology of some languages, such as English) another word for alveolar

noun

1. phonetics a dental consonant

dental

1. Relating to the teeth.

Other Word Forms

• dentality noun
• dentally adverb
• postdental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dental¹

1585–95; < Medieval Latin dentālis, equivalent to Latin dent- (stem of dēns ) tooth + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dental¹

C16: from Medieval Latin dentālis, from Latin dens tooth

Example Sentences

In 2016, officers appealed for help from dentists after the investigation revealed the man had undergone two identifiable dental procedures.

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“It was also interesting to see how it considered the ‘extra goodies’ and gave a good perspective of, ‘If you use more dental/vision, this plan provides more value,’” she said.

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Left out are nursing, physical therapy, dental hygiene, occupational therapy and social work — as well as fields outside of healthcare such as architecture, education, and accounting.

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Britain is also grappling with a growing child dental health problem with up to six in 10 children in some deprived areas having rotting teeth by the age of five.

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A lot of people will need expensive dental work in their later years.

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