Dental charting abbreviations
Some of what appears on a dental chart is standardised and means the same thing everywhere. Much of it is not. Knowing which half you are looking at matters more than any cheat sheet.
Tooth surface codes and tooth numbering systems are standardised. M, D, O, I, B, F and L have published definitions, and the Universal and FDI numbering systems are defined schemes. Restoration and condition abbreviations are not. They vary by practice, by dental school, by country and by software, and no standards body publishes a set to look them up in.
The standardised part
These carry the same meaning on any chart, and the decoder can resolve them exactly.
| Notation | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| M | Mesial surface | Surface code |
| D | Distal surface | Surface code |
| O | Occlusal surface, posterior teeth | Surface code |
| I | Incisal edge, anterior teeth | Surface code |
| B | Buccal surface | Surface code |
| F | Facial surface | Surface code |
| L | Lingual surface | Surface code |
| 1–32 | Permanent teeth, ADA Universal system | Numbering system |
| A–T | Primary teeth, ADA Universal system | Numbering system |
| 11–48 | Permanent teeth, FDI / ISO 3950 | Numbering system |
| 51–85 | Primary teeth, FDI / ISO 3950 | Numbering system |
Surface definitions follow the code list published by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; numbering follows the ADA Universal system and FDI/ISO 3950. Detail on Tooth surfaces and Numbering systems.
The part that is only convention
The abbreviations below are commonly used, not standardised. Practitioner and vendor sources agree that restoration and condition symbols differ between practices, between dental schools, between the UK grid tradition and US practice, and between software packages. The usual professional advice is that a practice should document one convention and apply it consistently — which is an admission that no universal set exists.
Treat this as an orientation aid for reading an unfamiliar chart, not as an authority. Where an entry affects care or billing, confirm it against the practice's own documented convention or ask the clinician who wrote it.
Surface synonyms
- P
- Palatal — the lingual surface of an upper tooth
- La
- Labial — the facial surface of an anterior tooth
- V
- Vestibular — used in place of buccal or facial in some European teaching
Restorative
- AM
- Amalgam
- CO or COMP
- Composite
- CR
- Crown
- PFM
- Porcelain fused to metal
- IMP or IMPL
- Implant
- TEMP
- Temporary restoration
Procedures
- RCT
- Root canal therapy
- EXT
- Extraction
- SRP
- Scaling and root planing
- PROPHY
- Prophylaxis
- SDF
- Silver diamine fluoride
Periodontal and diagnostic
- PD
- Probing depth
- BOP
- Bleeding on probing
- CAL
- Clinical attachment level
- FURC
- Furcation involvement
- MOB
- Mobility
Radiographs
- BW
- Bitewing
- PA
- Periapical
- PAN
- Panoramic
- FMX
- Full mouth series
Why there is no official symbol set
Charting grew up inside individual practices and dental schools before it was ever software. Each developed its own shorthand, and when practice-management systems arrived they encoded whatever their designers were taught. Claims reporting forced standardisation on the parts payers need — which tooth, which surfaces — and left everything else alone. That is why the tooth number and the surface codes are precise while the marks describing what was found there are not.
The practical consequence for anyone reading an old or unfamiliar chart: trust the tooth number and the surface letters, and verify the rest.