Current Dental Terminology

Current Dental Terminology (CDT) is a code set with descriptive terms developed and updated by the American Dental Association (ADA) for reporting dental services and procedures to dental benefit plans. Prior to 2000, the CDT was known as the Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature.

Overview

The CDT is designed to facilitate the processing of dental claims by providing a standardized language for reporting dental treatment. The code set is updated annually to allow for the addition of new codes, deletion of obsolete codes, and revision of existing codes.

The CDT is recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as the national standard for dental coding, as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Code Structure

The CDT codes are alphanumeric and begin with the letter D, followed by four digits. The codes are grouped into 12 categories, each representing a different type of service or procedure.

Usage

Dental providers use CDT codes to report services to dental benefit plans, which use the codes to determine benefits and payments. The codes are also used for administrative and research purposes.

See Also

• Dental insurance
• Dental procedures
• Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System
• International Classification of Diseases