Diastema is a latin term of greek origin incorporated into Terminologia Anatomica under the code A05.1.03.078. Odontologically, it is an interdental space located between teeth adjacent to the dental arch, its presence being normal in the period of mixed dentition. Dictionaries of the Spanish, Greek and Latin languages, of medical and etymological terms were consulted, in search of the initial occurrences of the term Diastema and its subsequent uses in history. The search reported that Diastema has been used to indicate a distance or interval, referring to places, times and even between musical tones. In the area of medical sciences, it is a term that has indicated the separation between the fingers or the virtual space created by insufflation of the lungs, being its closest approach to morphology in the veterinary area to designate the space that separates the incisors and molars tooth, especially in rodents and ruminants. To be consistent with the current guidelines of the International Federative Program of Anatomical Terminology and the terminological agreements of the Ibero-Latin American Symposia of Anatomical, Histological and Embryological Terminology, we suggest the replacement of the Diastema period with Spatium interdentale, as an advance in accuracy and description of the structure incorporated into Terminologia Anatomica.
