Oral Medicine, Oral Diagnosis & Maxillofacial Radiology
Oral Physician is a dental specialist
(MDS) who deals with the subject of Oral
Medicine & Radiology, that deals with the study
of oral diseases and their diagnosis, investigations required for that purpose,
and treatment planning and prescribing medications as per the need of the
suffering patients.
Oral diseases may involve the hard tissues of the
teeth and the jaw bones, surrounding and supporting soft tissues, oral
manifestations of systemic diseases involving blood, central nervous, cardiac,
respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, musculoskeletal, skin systems.
The subject also deals with the management of habit
and / stress induced oral mucosal diseases like leukoplakia, oral sub
mucous fibrosis, oral lichen planus, aphthous ulcerations, oral herpes
infections, candidiasis, drug induced allergic reactions, etc.
Palliative treatment care is considered to patients suffering
from facial neuralgic pain, TMJ disorders and other Orofacial pain. Pan
facial trauma cases are assessed and radiographed and referred for
interventional treatment.
Medically compromised patients are evaluated for management of their dental
problems to pre-empt any untoward complications from occurring in the dental
chair. As many oral diseases have systemic manifestations and many systemic
imbalances have oral manifestations, the patients are also dealt coordinatively
with the medical specialists for interactive management. The oral medicine
specialist is of invaluable help in even the diagnosis of medical problems. For
example, even a simple dental radiograph can give a diagnostic clue of
hyperparathyroidism.
Mucosal
biopsies for various
oral lesions, haematological, biochemical and radiological investigations are
done as required.
Dentomaxillofacial Radiology helps in the taking and interpretation
of dental intra oral periapical radiographs, bitewing radiographs, occlusal
radiographs, orthopantomograms, TMJ tomograms, lateral and other extra oral
skull radiographs. Patients are also advised as required for ultra sonograms
and computed tomograms.
Oral
Physicians are of invaluable help in the medical diagnosis and management of
the suffering patients.
