periodontics

American  

[per-ee-uh-don-tiks] / ˌpɛr i əˈdɒn tɪks /

Also periodontia

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of dentistry dealing with the study and treatment of diseases of the periodontium.

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periodontics British  

/ ˌpɛrɪəˈdɒntɪks /

noun

1. Also called: periodontology.  (functioning as singular) the branch of dentistry concerned with diseases affecting the tissues and structures that surround teeth

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periodontics Scientific  

/ pĕr′ē-ə-dŏn′tĭks /

1. The branch of dentistry that deals with the study and treatment of the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth, especially the gums.

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Other Word Forms

• periodontic adjective
• periodontically adverb

Etymology

Origin of periodontics

1945–50; < New Latin periodont ( ia ) ( peri-, -odont, -ia ) + -ics

Example Sentences

He was chairman of the department of periodontics and endodontics, and director of the graduate periodontics program at the Georgetown dental school from 1962 until the dental school closed in 1990.

From Washington Post • Sep. 2, 2018

As the population ages and more people keep their own teeth, periodontics, the specialty that deals with the treatment of gum disease, has become a large portion of the dentist's trade.

From Time Magazine Archive

Gum disease "behaves like a chronic type of inflammatory disease," explains Kenneth Kornman, a professor of periodontics at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

From Time Magazine Archive