Dental Practice Management Glossary

The HIPAA-standard electronic transaction format used specifically for submitting dental claims from providers to insura...

A tooth or implant fixture that serves as the primary support or anchor for a dental prosthesis such as a crown, bridge,...

The total outstanding balances owed to a dental practice by patients and insurance companies for services already render...

The standardised paper or electronic claim document, officially titled the ADA Dental Claim Form, used to submit dental...

The net revenue figure calculated by subtracting write-offs, discounts, and contractual adjustments from gross productio...

A practice management report that categorises outstanding patient and insurance balances by the length of time they have...

A dental restorative material composed of a mercury-alloy mixture, historically the standard material for posterior toot...

The formal designation by a patient of a dental provider to receive insurance benefit payments directly on their behalf.

A specific intraoral dental X-ray that captures the crowns and crestal bone of both upper and lower posterior teeth on a...

An appointment that a patient cancels at short notice or fails to attend entirely, resulting in unproductive chair time...

A dental insurance payment model in which a dentist receives a fixed per-patient fee per period, regardless of services...

The clinical and preferred scientific term for tooth decay; an infectious, multifactorial disease process resulting in t...

A structured clinical evaluation used to classify a patient's likelihood of developing new dental decay, guiding prevent...

The percentage of recommended dental treatment plans that patients agree to and schedule, used as a measure of practice...

A standardised alphanumeric code system maintained by the ADA used to identify and bill dental procedures.

The interpersonal and communication style a dental clinician employs while treating a patient in the dental chair.

A standardised set of graphic marks and abbreviations used in dental records to indicate existing restorations, patholog...

Supporting documentation—such as radiographs, periodontal charts, or narratives—submitted alongside a dental insurance c...

The process of determining which of two or more dental insurance plans pays first and how much each plan contributes whe...

A contractual provision in a dental benefits agreement specifying how payment is allocated when a patient holds coverage...

The process by which a dental provider applies to and is verified by an insurance company or managed care organisation t...

A malocclusion in which one or more upper teeth bite inside (lingual to) the lower teeth, rather than outside, when the...

A shorthand reference to any CDT (Current Dental Terminology) procedure code, which begins with the letter 'D' followed...

The measured distance of periodontal tissue destruction from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the base of the periodo...