Interdental plate

The interdental plate refers to the bone-filled mesial-distal region between the teeth.^[1] The word "interdental" is a combination of "inter" + "dental" (meaning "between the teeth") which originated in approximately 1870.^[2] In paleobiology, the presence or absence of the interdental plate can determine the place of an animal in the evolutionary scale, and paleontologists use the interdental plate when trying to classify a new specimen. Thecodont reptiles and theropod dinosaur fossils have an interdental plate, whereas acrodont reptiles such as Sphenodontia do not.^[3] Its presence in Archaeopteryx, an extinct avian, resulted in the proposal of the dinosaur-bird connection.

The term can also be used to refer to a manufactured object designed to be placed or worn between the teeth. An example would be a dental prosthetic designed to prevent contact between the teeth while the wearer is sleeping.^[4] US patent 6702765 relates to an apparatus designed to measure the pressure exerted by the tongue as a means of diagnosing ailments related to swallowing.^[5]

See also

• Interdental consonant
• Interdental lisp
• Interdental woodstick
• Unvoiced interdental fricative
• Voiced interdental fricative
• Voiceless interdental fricative

References

1. ^ Budney, LISA A. (2006). "TOOTH SOCKET HISTOLOGY IN THE CRETACEOUS SNAKE DINILYSIA, WITH A REVIEW OF AMNIOTE DENTAL ATTACHMENT TISSUES". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology) 26: 138–145. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[138:TSHITC]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634. http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1671%2F0272-4634(2006)26%5B138%3ATSHITC%5D2.0.CO%3B2. 
2. ^ "Interdental". Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/interdental. Retrieved 2007-03-13. 
3. ^ Tooth Implantation. Palaeos.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
4. ^ "Sleep-induced masticatory myoclonus: a rare parasomnia associated with insomnia.". Sleep. 1991 Feb;14(1): 80–2.. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1811324&dopt=Abstract. 
5. ^ US patent 6702765, "Apparatus for measuring tongue/hard palate contact pressure", granted 2006-03-09  

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