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dentistry

(Encyclopedia)dentistry, treatment and care of the teeth and associated oral structures. Dentistry is mainly concerned with tooth decay, disease of the supporting structures, such as the gums, and faulty positionin...

fiber

(Encyclopedia)fiber, threadlike strand, usually pliable and capable of being spun into a yarn. Many different fibers are known to be usable; some 40 of these are of commercial importance, and others are of local or...

anticoagulant

(Encyclopedia)anticoagulant ănˌtēkōăgˈyələnt [key], any of several substances that inhibit blood clot formation (see blood clotting). Some anticoagulants, such as the coumarin derivatives bishydroxycoumarin...

heartburn

(Encyclopedia)heartburn, burning sensation beneath the breastbone, also called pyrosis. Heartburn does not indicate heart malfunction but results from nervous tension or overindulgence in food or drink. The sensati...

rib

(Encyclopedia)rib, one of the slender, elongated, curved bones that compose the chest cage in higher vertebrates. Ribs occur in pairs, and are found in most vertebrates; however, in some lower vertebrates, includin...

sleep apnea

(Encyclopedia)sleep apnea, episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder in which relaxation of muscles in the throat repeatedly close off the airway during sleep; the...

sand dollar

(Encyclopedia)sand dollar, common name for a marine animal in the same phylum as the starfish (see sea star). The sand dollar has a rigid, flattened, disk-shaped test, or shell, made of firmly united plates lying j...

pleura

(Encyclopedia)pleura plo͝orˈə [key], membranous lining of the upper body cavity and covering for the lungs. The pleura is a two-layered structure: the parietal pleura lines the walls of the chest cage and covers...

tung oil

(Encyclopedia)tung oil, oil obtained from the seeds of a tropical tree, the tung tree (Aleurites fordii) of the spurge family, and from seeds of some related species, all from Indomalesia or W Pacifica. It is known...
 

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