-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.