dentistry

[ 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.

Nearby words

dentinoma, dentinum, dentiparous, dentirostral, dentist, dentistry, dentition, dento-, dentoalveolar, dentoalveolar abscess, dentoid

Origin of dentistry

First recorded in 1830–40; dentist + -ry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dentistry

“The golden age of Parisian smiles nurtured, and was nurtured by, the rise of dentistry as a vocation,” writes Jones.
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My father completed the transition out of dentistry at almost exactly the same moment as my mother started at “As It Happens.”
My Eulogy for My Father, Murray Frum|David Frum|May 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Why not, say, $97.5 million, as the Orthodontic Education Community gave the University of Colorado School of Dentistry in 2003?
The $100 Million Status Symbol|Rebecca Dana|September 23, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It really is worse than dentistry, you know, because you are not allowed gas.'
The Record of Nicholas Freydon|A. J. (Alec John) Dawson

There are other products of this school achieving success, both here and elsewhere, in the professions of medicine and dentistry.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917|Various
For the first time in his life he wished that he had adopted the profession of dentistry.
Gentle Julia|Booth Tarkington
In many of the States the professions of law, medicine, dentistry and all the elective offices are closed by statute.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV|Various
In politics, in science, in religion, in dentistry she looked up to his dicta as to revelation.
Miss Lulu Bett|Zona Gale

British Dictionary definitions for dentistry

dentistry

/ (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

Word Origin and History for dentistry

dentistry

1838; see dentist + -ry.

Medicine definitions for dentistry

dentistry

[ dĕn′tĭ-strē ]

n.

The science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the teeth, gums, and related structures of the mouth and including the repair or replacement of defective teeth.

Science definitions for dentistry

dentistry

[ 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.