CRDTS Dental key terms

A patient's voluntary agreement to a procedure after receiving and understanding information about its nature, risks, benefits, alternatives, and the consequences of refusing it.

A patient's ability to understand relevant information, weigh options, and communicate a consistent decision about their own care at the time consent is sought.

The principle that when a patient cannot decide for themselves, treatment choices must serve that person's welfare, weighing benefit, harm, and previously expressed wishes.

A collaborative conversation in which clinician and patient exchange evidence and preferences, then agree on a plan rather than the clinician deciding unilaterally.

The structured questioning of a patient about past and present illness, medication, allergies, and social factors to identify risks before dental treatment.

A six-level classification of a patient's systemic health, from ASA I (healthy) to ASA VI (brain-dead donor), used to flag treatment risk before dental care.

International Normalised Ratio; a standardised measure of how long blood takes to clot, used to judge bleeding risk before invasive dental procedures in patients on warfarin.

Giving antibiotics before a procedure to reduce the chance of bacteraemia causing infection at a distant site, such as endocarditis in high-risk cardiac patients.

An infection of the heart valves or endocardium, sometimes seeded by oral bacteria entering the bloodstream during dental treatment, carrying high morbidity and mortality.

The presence of live bacteria in circulating blood, which can occur transiently after chewing, scaling, extraction, or other procedures that breach oral tissues.

A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary fall in cerebral blood flow, commonly triggered in dentistry by fear, pain, or prolonged upright sitting.

Acute, potentially life-threatening events such as collapse, anaphylaxis, or choking that may arise during dental care and require immediate team response.

A severe, rapidly developing systemic allergic reaction with airway swelling, bronchospasm, and low blood pressure, requiring immediate adrenaline and emergency support.

A hormone drug given intramuscularly in anaphylaxis to reverse airway swelling and low blood pressure, and also used with local anaesthetic to prolong effect and reduce bleeding.

The set of non-invasive skills, including airway opening, rescue breathing, chest compressions, and use of an automated external defibrillator, used to sustain a collapsed patient.

The contemporaneous, accurate, and legible documentation of findings, consent, treatment, and advice in a patient's notes, serving clinical, legal, and audit purposes.

A quality-improvement cycle in which care is measured against an agreed standard, changes are made, and care is re-measured to confirm improvement.

The habit of reviewing one's own clinical actions and outcomes critically, then using those insights to change future behaviour and improve patient care.

Ongoing learning and training after qualification that maintains and updates a clinician's knowledge and skills throughout their working life.

The distance in millimetres from the gingival margin to the base of the gingival sulcus or pocket, measured with a graduated probe at several sites per tooth.

The distance from the cementoenamel junction to the base of the periodontal pocket, indicating how much supporting tissue has been lost around a tooth.

Bleeding elicited when a periodontal probe is run gently along the sulcus; its presence signals active inflammation and predicts future attachment loss.

A screening tool that divides each arch into sextants and assigns a score from 0 to 4 based on probing depth, bleeding, and calculus, guiding further periodontal assessment.

A count of Decayed, Missing, and Filled permanent Teeth, used to summarise a patient's or population's caries experience as a single number.

A structured evaluation of factors such as diet, fluoride use, saliva, plaque, and past caries to estimate a patient's likelihood of developing new lesions.

A systematic review of what and how often a patient eats and drinks, focusing on frequency and form of sugars, to plan caries-prevention advice.

A concentrated fluoride lacquer painted onto tooth surfaces to strengthen enamel and reduce caries, typically applied two to four times yearly in higher-risk patients.

The use of bitewing or periapical images to find approximal or occlusal lesions, judged by their depth relative to enamel and dentine.

The systematic reading of a dental radiograph for anatomy, pathology, restorations, and technical quality, recorded in writing rather than only viewed mentally.

The reversible loss of sensation in a region produced by drugs that block nerve conduction, allowing dental treatment without pain while the patient stays conscious.

An injection near the mandibular foramen that numbs the lower teeth and lip on one side, with a recognised risk of persistent altered sensation.

Altered or abnormal sensation, such as tingling or numbness, that persists beyond the expected duration of local anaesthesia and may follow nerve injury.

Techniques used to stop or control bleeding at a treatment site, including pressure, sutures, haemostatic agents, and careful soft-tissue management.

Placing and securing stitches to hold wound edges together, aid healing, and control bleeding after surgical or extraction procedures.

The planned use of instruments and controlled forces to remove a tooth while preserving surrounding bone and soft tissue and minimising complications.

Painful breakdown of the blood clot after extraction, leaving exposed bone, usually starting a few days later and treated by cleaning and dressing the socket.

Clear verbal and written advice given after a procedure about pain relief, diet, oral hygiene, bleeding control, and warning signs requiring contact.

A patient-centred conversational style that explores and strengthens a person's own reasons for change, such as improving oral hygiene or stopping smoking.

A multi-station assessment in which candidates rotate through timed tasks, each scored against a checklist by trained examiners, to test clinical skills and communication.

A trained person who portrays a patient's history, symptoms, and responses consistently for every candidate, allowing fair comparison of communication and examination skills.

A practical test in which a candidate performs procedures on a dental model or typodont, scored on technique, safety, and the quality of the finished work.

Scoring a station by ticking whether specific observable actions occurred, giving a reproducible but sometimes binary judgement of performance.

A scoring guide that describes levels of performance against criteria, helping examiners judge quality consistently rather than simply counting actions.

An OSCE task in which the candidate interacts with an actor or examiner to demonstrate communication, such as explaining a diagnosis or handling a complaint.

The routine cleaning of hands with soap and water or alcohol rub at defined moments to prevent transmission of microorganisms between patients and staff.

Barrier items such as gloves, masks, eye protection, and gowns worn to protect the clinician and patient from contact with blood, saliva, and airborne particles.

The set of policies and procedures that prevent microorganisms spreading between patients, staff, and the clinical environment in dental settings.

A team exchange in which the receiver repeats back an instruction to confirm it was heard correctly, reducing error in time-critical clinical situations.

Allocating limited station time across history, examination, explanation, and closure so that essential tasks are completed and the candidate is not cut off mid-task.