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-odontics Also -odontology and -odontia.

Specialisms in dentistry.

[Greek odous, odont-, tooth.]

Examples include paedodontics (US pedodontics) (Greek pais, paid-, child). which deals with children's teeth; prosthodontics, concerning prosthetic replacements for teeth; orthodontics (Greek orthos, straight, right), the treatment of irregularities in the teeth and jaws. Some dental specialisms contain -odontology instead: gerodontology (Greek gerōn, geront-, old man), the dental treatment of elderly people. Some specialisms, especially in the US, can be described by equivalent terms in -odontia, though these are less common: endodontia (Greek endon, within) deals with diseases of the dental pulp; periodontia (Greek peri, about, around) is concerned with diseases that affect the structures surrounding and supporting the teeth. For another sense of -odontia, see the preceding entry.

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