Medical glossary for healthcare interpreters

D

DDS 

Doctor of Dental Surgery.

Debridement

the surgical removal of foreign material and/or dead, damaged, or infected tissue from a wound or burn.

Decibel

unit that measures the intensity or loudness of sound.

Deciduous teeth

also known as "baby" or primary teeth.

Defecation

passage of bowel contents through the rectum and anus.

Defecography

x-ray of the anus and rectum to see how the muscles work to move stool.

Defibrillator

an electronic device used to establish normal heartbeat.

Delayed gastric emptying

gastroparesis.

Delusions

a condition in which the patient has lost touch with reality and experiences hallucinations and misperceptions.

Dendrite

a thread-like extension from a nerve cell that serves as an antenna to receive messages from the axons of other nerve cells.

Dental amalgams (Also called silver fill

a mixture of mercury (45 to 50 percent) and an alloy of silver, tin, and copper (50 to 55 percent) used to repair decayed teeth.
Dental fluorosis - a condition that results from drinking overly fluoridated water that often causes the teeth to become discolored and the enamel of the teeth to look spotted, pitted, or stained.

Dental implants

small dental appliances that are inserted into the upper and lower jaws to help restore a mouth that has little or no non-restorable teeth.

Dental pulp

the soft tissue around the tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.

Dental sealant

a thin, plastic film that is painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth - the molars and premolars - to prevent tooth decay.

Depth perception

the ability to distinguish objects in a visual field.

Dermatopathology

the study of the skin in diagnosing skin diseases.

Descending colon

the middle part of the colon located on the left side of the abdomen.

Diagnosis

identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings.

Diaphragm

primary muscle used for respiration, located just below the lung bases.

Diastolic blood pressure

the lowest blood pressure measure in the arteries, which occurs between heartbeats.