Dental Oral Surgery Glossary
103 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
Subperiosteal Dissection
Surgical separation of the periosteum from the underlying bone using an elevator, performed to raise a mucoperiosteal flap and expose the operative site.
Marsupialisation
A surgical procedure in which a large cyst is opened and its walls are sutured to the surrounding mucosa to create a per...
Maxillofacial
An adjective pertaining to the maxilla, mandible, and associated facial structures; used to denote a surgical specialty...
Mental Foramen
The natural opening on the anterolateral surface of the mandible through which the mental nerve and vessels emerge; a ke...
Mentalis Muscle
A paired muscle of the chin that elevates and protrudes the lower lip; referenced in oral surgery texts when describing...
MRONJ
Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw; the current preferred term for jaw bone death associated with antiresorptiv...
Mucoperiosteal Flap
A surgically raised tissue flap comprising both the oral mucosa and the underlying periosteum, used to access alveolar b...
Neck Dissection
A surgical procedure to remove cervical lymph nodes and associated structures for staging or treatment of head-and-neck...
Odontectomy
The surgical removal of a tooth, particularly an impacted or unerupted tooth, requiring bone removal or tissue dissectio...
Odontogenic
Of or relating to an origin from tooth-forming tissues; used to describe pathology, cysts, tumours, or infections arisin...
Odontogenic Cyst
A pathological cavity lined by epithelium derived from odontogenic (tooth-forming) tissues, commonly requiring surgical...
Odontogenic Infection
An infection originating from a tooth or its supporting structures, capable of spreading into adjacent fascial spaces of...
Odontogenic Keratocyst
A locally aggressive odontogenic cyst characterised by a thin, parakeratinised epithelial lining and a high recurrence r...
OKC
Abbreviation for odontogenic keratocyst, a locally aggressive jaw cyst with a high recurrence rate.
Operculectomy
The surgical excision of the operculum, the flap of gingival tissue overlying a partially erupted tooth, most often a ma...
ORIF
Abbreviation for Open Reduction and Internal Fixation; a surgical technique in which fractured bone segments are exposed...
ORN
Abbreviation for osteoradionecrosis; a radiation-induced bone necrosis condition predominantly affecting the mandible in...
Oroantral Communication
An abnormal opening between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus, most frequently arising after extraction of an uppe...
Oroantral Fistula
A chronic, epithelium-lined tract connecting the oral cavity to the maxillary sinus, representing an unresolved oroantra...
Orthognathic Surgery
Corrective jaw surgery performed to realign the jaws and teeth to improve function and facial aesthetics when orthodonti...
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
Death and exposure of jawbone tissue, frequently associated with bisphosphonate therapy or antiangiogenic medications.
Osteoradionecrosis
A serious complication of radiotherapy in which irradiated bone — most commonly the mandible — undergoes avascular necro...
Osteoradionecrosis Staging
A formal clinical grading system that classifies the severity and extent of radiation-induced jaw bone necrosis to guide...
Osteotomy
The deliberate surgical cutting of bone to reposition, reshape, or correct deformity; a foundational procedure in oral a...
Panoramic Radiograph
A single extraoral dental X-ray that provides a broad, flat-plane image of the entire upper and lower jaws, teeth, and a...