Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «D»:
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Dengue shock syndrome
Dengue shock syndrome: A syndrome
due to the dengue virus that tends to affect children under
10, causing abdominal pain, hemorrhage (bleeding) and
circulatory collapse (shock). Known also as dengue
hemorrhagic fever (DHF), it starts abruptly with high
continuous fever and headache plus respir...
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Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Inst.
Dental & Craniofacial Research, National Institute of
(NIDCR): One of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the
U.S., the NIDCR is for dental and other craniofacial diseases.
NIDCR's mission is, in formal terms, to "provide
leadership for a national research program designed to
unders...
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Dental Association, American (ADA)
Dental Association, American (ADA): The mission statement of the ADA reads as follows:
"The ADA is the professional association of dentists dedicated to serving both the public and the profession of dentistry. The ADA promotes the public's health through commitment of member dentists to provide qual...
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Dental braces (orthodontics)
Dental braces (orthodontics): The use of devices to
move teeth or adjust underlying bone. The ideal age for starting
orthodontic treatment is
between ages 3 to 12 years. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems
can be corrected with
splinting or dental braces. Teeth can be moved by removable
applia...
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Dental drill
Dental drill: A device that dentists use to drill into teeth.
Primitive dental drills were used in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1868, American dentist George F. Green added power to the drill with a pneumatic version run by a pedal-powered bellows. In 1871, dentist James B. Morrison added ...
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Dental impaction
Dental impaction: Teeth pressing together. For example,
molar teeth (the large teeth in the back of the jaw) can be impacted, cause pain and
require pain medication, antibiotics, and surgical removal. ...
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Dental pain (toothache)
Dental pain (toothache): The most common cause of a
toothache is a dental cavity. The second most common is gum disease. Toothache can be
caused by a problem that does not originate from a tooth or the jaw....
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Dentin
Dentin: Dentin is the hard tissue of the tooth surrounding the
central core of nerves and blood vessels (pulp). ...
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Denture
Denture: An artificial set of teeth that can be removed....
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Denver Developmental Screening Test
Denver Developmental Screening Test:The Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) is a widely used assessment for examining children 0-6 years of age as to their developmental progress. The name "Denver" reflects the fact that this screening test was created at the University of Colorado Medical Ce...
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Deoxyhemoglobin
Deoxyhemoglobin: The form of hemoglobin without oxygen, the predominant protein in red blood cells.
Hemoglobin forms an unstable, reversible bond with oxygen. In its oxygen-loaded form it is oxyhemoglobin and is bright red. In the oxygen-unloaded form it is called deoxyhemoglobin and is purple-blue...
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Deoxyribonucleic acid
Deoxyribonucleic acid: DNA. One of two types of molecules
that encode genetic information. (The other is RNA. In humans DNA is the genetic material; RNA is transcribed from it. In some other organisms, RNA is the genetic material and, in reverse fashion, the DNA is transcribed from it.)
DNA is a ...
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Department of Energy (DOE).
Department of Energy (DOE): One of the U.S. government
agencies contributing to the Human Genome Project....
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Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Health and Human Services : The United States government's principal agency for "protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves." Also known as DHHS and HHS.
The U.S. Department of Health and H...
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Depigmentation
Depigmentation: Loss of color (pigment) from the skin, mucous membranes, hair, or retina of the eye.
The color of the skin, mucous membranes, hair, and retina is due to the deposition of melanin, which is a coloring matter. Melanin is produced by specialized cells called melanocytes.
Other terms p...
