Washington Administrative Code
Title 182 - Health Care Authority
WASHINGTON APPLE HEALTH
Chapter 182-535A - Orthodontic services
Section 182-535A-0010 - Definitions

The following definitions and those found in chapter 182-500 WAC apply to this chapter.

"Adolescent dentition" means teeth that are present after the loss of primary teeth and prior to the cessation of growth that affects orthodontic treatment.

"Appliance placement" means the application of orthodontic attachments to the teeth for the purpose of correcting dentofacial abnormalities.

"Cleft" means an opening or fissure involving the dentition and supporting structures, especially one occurring in utero. These can be:

(a) Cleft lip;

(b) Cleft palate (involving the roof of the mouth); or

(c) Facial clefts (e.g., macrostomia). "Comprehensive full orthodontic treatment" means utilizing fixed orthodontic appliances for treatment of adolescent dentition leading to the improvement of a client's severe handicapping craniofacial dysfunction and/or dentofacial deformity, including anatomical and functional relationships.

"Craniofacial anomalies" means abnormalities of the head and face, either congenital or acquired, involving disruption of the dentition and supporting structures.

"Craniofacial team" means a cleft palate/maxillofacial team or an American Cleft Palate Association-certified craniofacial team. These teams are responsible for the management (review, evaluation, and approval) of patients with cleft palate craniofacial anomalies to provide integrated management, promote parent-professional partnership, and make appropriate referrals to implement and coordinate treatment plans.

"Crossbite" means an abnormal relationship of a tooth or teeth to the opposing tooth or teeth, in which normal buccolingual or labiolingual relations are reversed.

"Dental dysplasia" means an abnormality in the development of the teeth.

"Ectopic eruption" means a condition in which a tooth erupts in an abnormal position or is fifty percent blocked out of its normal alignment in the dental arch.

"EPSDT" means the agency's early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment program for clients twenty years of age and younger as described in chapter 182-534 WAC.

"Hemifacial microsomia" means a developmental condition involving the first and second brachial arch. This creates an abnormality of the upper and lower jaw, ear, and associated structures (half or part of the face is smaller in size).

"Limited orthodontic treatment" means orthodontic treatment with a limited objective, not involving the entire dentition. It may be directed only at the existing problem, or at only one aspect of a larger problem in which a decision is made to defer or forego more comprehensive therapy.

"Malocclusion" means improper alignment of biting or chewing surfaces of upper and lower teeth or abnormal relationship of the upper and lower dental arches.

"Maxillofacial" means relating to the jaws and face.

"Occlusion" means the relation of the upper and lower teeth when in functional contact during jaw movement.

"Orthodontics" means treatment involving the use of any appliance, in or out of the mouth, removable or fixed, or any surgical procedure designed to redirect teeth and surrounding tissues.

"Orthodontist" means a dentist who specializes in orthodontics, who is a graduate of a postgraduate program in orthodontics that is accredited by the American Dental Association, and who meets the licensure requirements of the department of health.

"Permanent dentition" means those teeth that succeed the primary teeth and the additional molars that erupt.

"Primary dentition" means teeth that develop and erupt first in order of time and are normally shed and replaced by permanent teeth.

"Transitional dentition" means the final phase from primary to permanent dentition, in which most primary teeth have been lost or are in the process of exfoliating and the permanent successors are erupting.

11-14-075, recodified as §182-535A-0010, filed 6/30/11, effective 7/1/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.08.090. 08-17-009, § 388-535A-0010, filed 8/7/08, effective 9/7/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.520 and 74.09.035, 74.09.500. 05-01-064, § 388-535A-0010, filed 12/8/04, effective 1/8/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.035, 74.09.520, 74.09.500, 42 U.S.C. 1396 d(a), C.F.R. 440.100 and 225. 02-01-050, § 388-535A-0010, filed 12/11/01, effective 1/11/02.