Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, bespreek ons tandpyn.

Alvorens means before.

It is correct Afrikaans, but it sounds a bit more formal or literary than everyday speech. In everyday conversation, many speakers would more naturally use voordat:

• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, bespreek ons tandpyn.
• Voordat die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, bespreek ons tandpyn.

Both are grammatical, but voordat is usually the more common choice in ordinary speech.

Because Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek is a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses usually send the finite verb to the end.

So the pattern is:

• alvorens
  • subject + object + verb

In this sentence:

• die mondhigiënis = subject
• die holte = object
• ondersoek = verb

That gives:

• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek

This is very common in Afrikaans after conjunctions like:

• dat = that
• omdat = because
• voordat = before
• terwyl = while

This is because Afrikaans main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

If something other than the subject comes first, the finite verb must still stay in the second position. Here, the whole opening clause comes first:

• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, ...

So the main clause begins with the verb:

• bespreek ons tandpyn

Compare:

• Ons bespreek tandpyn.
• Vandag bespreek ons tandpyn.
• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, bespreek ons tandpyn.

In all three, the finite verb is in second position.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender like Dutch or German, so you do not have to choose between different words for the. For singular and plural definite nouns, die is used very widely.

So:

• die mondhigiënis = the dental hygienist
• die holte = the cavity / the hollow

This is simpler than in many European languages because you do not need to memorize masculine, feminine, or neuter article forms.

Mondhigiënis is a compound noun, which is very common in Afrikaans.

It is made up of:

• mond = mouth
• higiënis = hygienist

So literally it is mouth hygienist, which in natural English is dental hygienist or oral hygienist, depending on context.

Afrikaans often joins nouns into one word, just as German and Dutch do. So writing it as mond higiënis would be wrong.

Holte literally means cavity, hollow, or space inside something.

In a medical or dental context, it can refer to different kinds of cavities depending on the situation. In this sentence, it most likely refers to a cavity that the dental hygienist is going to examine, but the exact English translation depends on the context you were given.

So holte is a general word, and context tells you whether it means something like:

• a tooth cavity
• a hollow space
• a body cavity

Tandpyn is another compound noun:

• tand = tooth
• pyn = pain

So tandpyn means toothache or tooth pain.

It appears without an article here because it is being treated as a general or abstract thing being discussed, not as a specifically identified object. This is normal.

Compare:

• Ons bespreek tandpyn. = We discuss toothache / tooth pain in general.
• Ons bespreek die tandpyn. = We discuss the toothache, a specific one already known.
• Ons bespreek 'n tandpyn. = We discuss a toothache, one instance of it.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs in this way. In the present tense, the verb usually stays the same regardless of the subject.

For example:

• ek bespreek
• jy bespreek
• hy bespreek
• ons bespreek
• hulle bespreek

And similarly:

• ek ondersoek
• sy ondersoek
• ons ondersoek

So unlike English, you do not usually get a special form like examines versus examine. That is why you see:

• die mondhigiënis ... ondersoek
• ons bespreek

with no extra verb endings.

The ë shows that the vowels are pronounced in separate syllables. It tells you not to merge them into one vowel sound.

So higiënis is pronounced with a clear break before the ë syllable. The dots are called a diaeresis, and they help with pronunciation and syllable division.

English has something similar in a few borrowed words, such as naïve or Noël, where the marks show that the vowels are pronounced separately.

Not directly in this sentence.

Use voordat or alvorens before a full clause with its own subject and verb:

• Voordat die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek ...
• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek ...

Use voor before a noun phrase, not a full clause:

• Voor die ondersoek bespreek ons tandpyn. = Before the examination, we discuss toothache.

So in your sentence, voor by itself would not be the best choice because it is followed by a full clause: die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek.

The comma separates the opening subordinate clause from the main clause.

Afrikaans normally writes a comma between:

• a subordinate clause first
• then the main clause

So:

• Alvorens die mondhigiënis die holte ondersoek, bespreek ons tandpyn.

This helps show the structure clearly:

1. first, the before clause
2. then, the main statement

It is both grammatical and very standard punctuation in Afrikaans.