plaque

[plak]

1. any patch or flat area.

2. a superficial, solid, elevated skin lesion with a diameter equal to or greater than 1.0 cm (0.5 cm according to some authorities); see also papule.

3. dental plaque.

atheromatous plaque fibrous plaque.

dental plaque a dense, nonmineralized, highly organized biofilm of microbes, organic and inorganic material derived from the saliva, gingival crevicular fluid, and bacterial byproducts. It plays an important etiologic role in the development of dental caries and periodontal and gingival diseases; calcified plaque forms dental calculus.

fibrous plaque the lesion of atherosclerosis, a white to yellow area within the wall of an artery that causes the intimal surface to bulge into the lumen; it is composed of lipid, cell debris, smooth muscle cells, collagen, and, in older persons, calcium. Called also atheromatous plaque.

Hollenhorst p's atheromatous emboli containing cholesterol crystals in the retinal arterioles.

pleural p's opaque white plaques on the parietal pleura, visible radiographically in cases of asbestosis.

senile p's microscopic lesions composed of fragmented axon terminals and dendrites surrounding a core of amyloid seen in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease.

den·tal plaque

1. the noncalcified accumulation mainly of oral microorganisms and their products that adheres tenaciously to the teeth and is not readily dislodged;

2. Synonym(s): bacterial plaque

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

den·tal plaque

(den'tăl plak)

1. The noncalcified accumulation, mainly of oral microorganisms and their products, which adheres tenaciously to the teeth and is not readily dislodged.

2. Synonym(s): bacterial plaque.

dental plaque

a thin film of MICROORGANISMS embedded in a matrix of bacterial POLYSACCHARIDES and salivary polymers on the surface of teeth. See also BIOFILM.

den·tal plaque

(den'tăl plak)

1. Noncalcified accumulation mainly of oral microorganisms and their products that adheres tenaciously to the teeth and is not readily dislodged.

2. Synonym(s): bacterial plaque.