THE PRACTICE OF ORAL MEDICINE

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. Specialists trained in oral medicine also provide dental and oral health care for patients with medical diseases that affect dental treatment, including patients receiving treatment for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and infectious diseases. All dentists receive predoctoral training in these fields, but the complex patient requires a clinician with specialized training in these fields. The American Academy of Oral Medicine defines the field as follows:

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 that do not respond to conventional dental or maxillofacial surgical procedures. The practice of oral medicine will provide optimal health to all people through the diagnosis and management of oral diseases. Fundamental to this vision are 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
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 —Disorders of the oral mucosa membranes
The Third World Workshop on Oral Medicine (Chicago, 1998) was charged with updating and summarizing the state of the field in four major areas: (1) diseases of the oral mucosa, (2) infectious diseases of the orofacial region, (3) orofacial pain, and (4) salivary gland and chemosensory disorders. The American Board of Oral Medicine, the group charged with approving programs in the field, has fully or preliminarily approved approximately 10 postdoctoral residency programs in the United States. The graduates of these programs are found in universities, medical centers, and private practices throughout the country and provide needed oral health consultation services to local dentists and physicians.