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.
Exostosis
A benign bony overgrowth projecting from the surface of the jaw, commonly encountered as torus palatinus or torus mandib...
Extraction Socket
The bony cavity that remains in the alveolar ridge immediately after a tooth has been removed; the site of blood clot fo...
Facial Degloving
A surgical approach in which soft tissue is elevated away from the facial skeleton to provide wide operative access, par...
Fibula Free Flap
A microvascular reconstructive technique in which a segment of fibula bone (with or without overlying skin) is harvested...
Frenectomy
The surgical excision of a frenum (frenulum) — a small fold of mucous membrane — performed in the oral cavity when the f...
GBR
Abbreviation for guided bone regeneration, a surgical technique using barrier membranes to promote new bone formation in...
Genial Tubercle
A bony prominence on the lingual surface of the mandibular symphysis serving as an attachment point for the genioglossus...
Genioplasty
A surgical procedure that repositions or reshapes the chin bone (the mandibular symphysis) to correct skeletal chin defo...
Guided Bone Regeneration
A surgical technique that uses barrier membranes to exclude soft-tissue cells from a bone defect, allowing osteogenic ce...
Haematoma (surgical site)
A localised collection of blood outside blood vessels at an oral surgery wound site, representing a potential postoperat...
Haemostasis
The process—or its surgical achievement—by which bleeding is stopped, whether by physiological clotting mechanisms or su...
Hemimandibulectomy
Surgical resection of one half of the mandible, typically performed for the management of extensive jaw tumours or sever...
Hypercementosis
An abnormal thickening of the cementum on one or more tooth roots, which can complicate extraction by anchoring the root...
IMF
Abbreviation for Intermaxillary Fixation; the temporary immobilisation of upper and lower jaws together in occlusion aft...
Impaction (dental)
The state of a tooth that has failed to erupt fully into its functional position due to obstruction by adjacent teeth, b...
Inferior Alveolar Canal
The bony channel within the mandible that transmits the inferior alveolar nerve and vessels from the mandibular foramen...
Inferior Alveolar Nerve
A branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (V3) that runs through the mandibular canal, providing senso...
Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block
A regional anaesthetic technique that deposits local anaesthetic near the inferior alveolar nerve to anaesthetise the ma...
Intermaxillary Fixation
The temporary wiring or banding together of the upper and lower jaws in occlusion to stabilise jaw fractures or osteotom...
Le Fort I Osteotomy
A horizontal surgical cut through the maxilla above the tooth apices, allowing the tooth-bearing maxillary segment to be...
Le Fort Osteotomy
A classification of surgical cuts through the maxillary complex at defined levels (I, II, or III) to reposition the midf...
Lingual Nerve
A branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve that provides sensory innervation to the anterior two-thirds...
Lingual Split Technique
A historical method for removing impacted mandibular third molars by splitting and temporarily removing the lingual cort...
Ludwig's Angina
A life-threatening, rapidly spreading bilateral cellulitis of the submandibular, sublingual, and submental spaces, almos...