The field of oral medicine consists chiefly of the diagnosis and medical management of the patient with complex medical disorders involving the oral mucosa and salivary glands as well as orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders. Oral medicine is the specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the oral health care of medically compromised patients and with the diagnosis and nonsurgical management of medically related disorders or conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region. Oral medicine specialists are concerned with the nonsurgical medical aspects of dentistry. These specialists are involved in the primary diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases. The practice of oral medicine will provide optimal health to all people through the diagnosis and management of oral diseases.
Fundamental to this vision is the following:
1. Recognition of the interaction of oral and systematic health
2. Integration of medical and oral health care
3. Management of pharmacotherapeutics necessary for the treatment of oral and systemic diseases
4. Investigation of the etiology and treatment of oral diseases through basic science and clinical research
5. Research, teaching, and patient care.
6. Provision of care for medically complex patients and for those undergoing cancer therapy
7. Prevention, definition, and management of the following disorders:
– Salivary gland disease
– Orofacial pain and other neurosensory disorders
– Disorder of the oral mucosa membranes.