caries n : soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth [syn: cavity, dental caries, tooth decay]

English

Noun

1. The progressive destruction of bone or tooth by decay

Translations

Derived terms

• dental caries

French

Verb

1. Form of Second-person singular present subjunctive, carier

Caries is a progressive destruction of any kind of bone structure, including the skull, ribs, teeth, and other bones. Caries can be caused by osteomyelitis, which is a bacterial disease. A disease which involves caries is mastoiditis, an inflammation of the mastoid process, in which the bone gets eroded.

Types

Dental caries is one of many types of caries. Dental caries affects different parts of the teeth: enamel, dentin or cementum; in the crown or the root of the tooth. Nearly all contain bacteria such as streptococcus mutans and lactobacillus.

carrion, decay, decomposition, dry gangrene, dry rot, foulness, gangrene, gas gangrene, moist gangrene, mortification, necrosis, necrotic tissue, noma, putrefaction, putrescence, putridity, putridness, rancidity, rancidness, rankness, rot, rottenness, slough, sphacelation, sphacelus, spoilage, tooth decay