denticles - small tooth like raised areas around the edge of a coin. Particularly on older coins. Often found all around the front (obverse) and back (reverse) of the coin, right next to the edge. http://cointerms.com/glossary/d_definitions.htm
I have always used denticles but I have seen some of the more numismatically educated posters here use dentils. I suppose the terms may be somewhat interchangeable among folks that talk coins.
They are, always have been. Ya see, when ya get right down to it, a denticle is nothing more than a small dentil.
Nothing to add, I have always heard both used and most know either can be used to describe what you mean. Maybe its a geographic thing, uptight Northerners are all "they are denticles", while southerners are, "they're dentils ya'all!".
I think that the people who use Facebook, Twitter, and the like, use dentils rather than denticles because it's less typing/keystrokes. Just my opinion.
dentil= “any of a series of small, rectangular shaped blocks...used under the corona of Ionic, Corinthian and Composite cornices”...(architecture)...paraphrased from Dictionary.com. @GDJMSP and others have the intent of usage right, they get the message across, either one...Spark
No matter which you use, a coin collector knows what you are talking about. Are we going to have to become politically correct?
Yes, by all means, let's make "denticles vs. dentils" a political banner. Because heaven knows we don't have enough of those.