attachment (redirected from parallel attachment)

attachment

Etymology: Fr, attachement

1 the state or quality of being affixed or attached.

2 (in psychiatry) a mode of behavior in which one individual relates in an affiliative or dependent manner to another; a feeling of affection or loyalty that binds one person to another. See also bonding.

3 (in dentistry) any device, such as a retainer or artificial crown, used to secure a partial denture to a natural tooth in the mouth.

4 (in periodontology) the fixation of periodontal tissues to alveolar bone and tooth structure.

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attachment [ah-tach´ment]

1. the development of strong affectional ties between an infant and a significant other (mother, father, sibling, caretaker); this is a psychological, rather than a biological, process.

2. the initial stage of infection of a cell by a virus, in which the viral envelope finds a suitable receptor on the cell surface, enabling the virus to enter. Called also adsorption.

risk for impaired parent/infant/child attachment a nursing diagnosis accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, defined as disruption of the interactive process between parent/significant other and infant that fosters the development of a protective and nurturing reciprocal relationship. Possible causes include inadequacy of the parent or parent substitute (such as anxiety or substance abuse), illness in the child, physical separation, lack of privacy, and others.

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attachment,

n 1. a fastener, connector, associated part.
n 2. a mechanical device for retention and stabilization of a dental prosthesis.

attachment, abnormal frenum

n the insertions of labial, buccal, or lingual frena capable of initiating or continuing periodontal disease, such as creating diastemata between teeth, limiting lip or tongue movement.

attachment, epithelial (EA),

n the epithelial-derived tissue device that connects the junctional epithelium to the tooth surface.

attachment, gingival,

n the fibrous attachment of the gingival tissues to the teeth.

attachment, intracoronal,

n (precision attachment, slotted attachment). See retainer, intracoronal.

attachment level, clinical (CAL),

n the amount of space between attached periodontal tissues and a fixed point, usually the cementoenamel junction. A measurement used to assess the stability of attachment as part of a periodontal maintenance program.

attachment loss,

n See loss of attachment (LOA).

attachment, migration of epithelial,

n the apical progression of the epithelial attachment along the tooth root.

attachment, orthodontic,

n a device, secured to the crown of a tooth, that serves as a means of attaching the arch wire to the tooth.

attachment, parallel,

n a prefabricated device for attaching a denture base to an abutment tooth. Retention is provided by friction between the parallel walls of the two parts of the attachment.

attachment, precision,

n See retainer, intracoronal.

attachment, slotted,

n See retainer, intracoronal.

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attachment

1. state of being attached.

2. a connection which achieves attachment.

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attachment plaque

an electron-dense coating of cell membranes in which intermediate filaments are embedded participating in the mechanism of holding cells together.

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attachment

Psychiatry The behavior of an organism that relates in an affiliative or dependent manner to another object which develops during critical periods of life and can be extinguished by lack of opportunity to relate; if separation occurs before maturation can provide for adaptive adjustment, personality deviation can occur