Anatomical terminology: Dental assisting

Anatomical terminology is the language used to describe the shape and structure of the human body. It looks at all the different parts of the body, where they’re located, and their relationship to one another. It’s the foundation for everything you’ll do as a dental assistant, whether you’re helping with a procedure, positioning a patient, or documenting care.

Your knowledge of anatomical terminology helps you understand how oral health connects to your patient’s overall health and allows you to anticipate their needs in the dental care setting.

Now, the word anatomy comes from Greek roots meaning “to cut up,” which makes sense, since anatomy often involves looking at how the different parts of the body are put together to form the structure of the body. Closely related to anatomy is physiology, which is all about function, or how the body works. While you’re learning anatomical terminology, keep in mind that structure affects function and function affects structure. So, a change in structure, like a decayed tooth, can cause changes in function like pain. Pain can also impact a patient’s ability to eat, sleep, or go to work or school.

You’ll also need to learn basic anatomical terms to help you communicate effectively as a health professional. One of the first terms you’ll need to know is anatomical position. This means the person is standing upright with their feet parallel to one another, toes directed forward, and arms down at their sides with the palms of their hands facing forward. This position is the reference point for all anatomical descriptions, so everyone is speaking the same language.

Now, we can use imaginary lines called planes to help us talk about the location of different parts of the body. The midsagittal plane, also called the median plane, is a vertical plane going through the body’s midline, over structures such as the nose and belly button, separating the body into right and left halves. In contrast, there are sagittal planes that can be placed anywhere parallel to the midsagittal plane, dividing the body into unequal left and right parts.

Next, we have transverse planes which are horizontal planes that divide the body into upper and lower portions, and frontal planes, also called coronal planes, that are at right angles to the sagittal and median planes, dividing the body into front and back. Last but not least, oblique planes divide the body at an angle.

Next, you’ll need to know directional terms. These are like a map for the body because they help us describe where things are. They make communication clear when you’re working with other health professionals, reviewing charts, positioning patients, or assisting with imaging, like X-rays.

Superior means towards the head, while inferior means towards the feet. For example, the diaphragm is superior to the stomach while the stomach is inferior to the heart.

Next, proximal means closer to the trunk, and distal means farther from the trunk. So, we can say the thigh is proximal to the foot because it’s closer to the trunk, and the foot is distal to the thigh.

If we want to indicate that a structure is in front of another, we use the term anterior which means that it’s towards the front of the body or a structure. On the other hand, to indicate a structure is more towards the back, we can say it’s posterior.

To describe a structure’s relative proximity to the median plane, we use the terms medial and lateral. Medial refers to a structure that’s closer to the midline or the midsagittal plane, while lateral refers to a structure that is farther from it. So, when looking at the head, we could say our eyes are medial to our ears, and our ears are lateral to our eyes.

Finally, the body is divided into two major regions. The axial region includes the head, neck, and trunk, while the appendicular region is comprised of the arms and legs.