Problems in nomenclature of craniofacial disorders

The diverse background of clinical geneticists may lead to problems of communication unless attention is paid to nomenclature. In this paper, consensus is sought on terms for normal and abnormal development, a system for labeling developmental defects of dentin is proposed, and terms for patterns of coexistent variations are defined. The major methods for naming coexistent variations are reviewed, with attention to the disadvantages of each. An informal study on recognition of patterns of variation based on the naming system used is also presented.