Oral Medicine

Oral diseases can be due to local causes, as well as manifestations of systemic diseases.

A detailed medical history, a thorough examination of the oral cavity in combination with the necessary diagnostic imaging and laboratory examinations enables us to discern signs and symptoms due to the above diseases. In addition, to offer the most appropriate treatment to the patient, the cooperation with Doctors of other specialties may be required, e.g. Oncologist, Hematologist, Rheumatologist etc.

Many systemic diseases, as mentioned above, exhibit signs and symptoms in the oral and maxillofacial region, including dermatological diseases, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, autoimmune and infectious diseases, all requiring appropriate treatment. In many cases, the diseases are treated by taking local and / or systemic drugs, classifying Oral Medicine as a science that deals with conditions with a predominantly pathological orientation. However, there are cases where the optimal treatment of the patient requires minor surgeries including diagnostic biopsies, resections of benign tumors, intravenous injections of drugs, etc. Within the field of Oral Medicine the treatment of precancerous and cancerous lesions is also included, as well as the dental rehabilitation of patients with serious health issues such as, for example, people with oral cancer or osteonecrosis of the jaws due to radiation therapy or induced by certain drugs. In addition, the Oral Medicine specialist is involved in the diagnosis of dry mouth conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome and the management of non-dental etiology of chronic pain such as burning mouth syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, etc.

From this brief description it becomes clear that Oral Medicine requires a deep and thorough commitment by the specialist, as well as an in-depth knowledge of a variety of medical fields, which is precisely what makes it such a fascinating field for the specialist.