Oral medicine involves diagnosing and managing diseases of the oral cavity, salivary glands, and orofacial region in patients with systemic conditions. Specialists provide care to medically complex patients and those receiving cancer treatment. They diagnose non-surgical oral conditions and manage pharmacotherapy. Examinations include medical history, vital signs, head/neck exam, and lab tests to establish diagnoses and treatment plans considering medical factors.

1. Oral Medicine
Dr. Rawand Samy Mohamed Abu Nahla
Oral Medicine, periodontology& oral Radiology Department.
Dr. Haydar. A. Shafy Faculty Of Dentistry.
El Azhar University.

2. Lecture 1

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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 pharmaco therapeutics 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. 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.

7. To get relevant medical and dental information (including the examination of the
patient) and the use of this information for dental treatment. This process can be
divided into the following four parts:
1. Taking and recording the medical history.
2. Examining the patient and performing laboratory studies.
3. Establishing a diagnosis
4. Formulating a plan of action (including dental treatment modifications and
necessary medical referrals)

8. MEDICAL HISTORY
Obtaining a medical history is an information gathering process for assessing a
patient’s health status.
The medical history comprises a systematic review of the patient’s chief or
primary complaint, a detailed history related to this complaint, information
about past and present medical conditions, pertinent social and family histories.

9. 1-Chief Complaint and History Of The Present
Illness
 The chief complaint is established by asking the patient to describe the problem for which he or
she is seeking help or treatment. The chief complaint is recorded in the patient’s own words as
much as possible and should not be documented in technical (ie, formal diagnostic) language
unless reported in that fashion by the patient.
 Patients may or may not volunteer a detailed history of the problem for which they are seeking
treatment, and additional information usually needs to be elicited by the examiner.
 The patient’s responses to these questions constitute the history of the present illness (HPI).

10. The HPI is the course of the patient’s chief complaint:
When and how it began; what exacerbates and what ameliorates
the complaint (when applicable); if and how the complaint has been
treated, and what was the result of any such treatment; and what
diagnostic tests have been performed.
Direct and specific questions are used to elicit this information and
should be recorded in the patient record in narrative form, as follows:

11. 1. When did this problem start?
2. What did you notice first?
3. Did you have any problems or symptoms related to this?
4. What makes the problem worse or better?
5. Have the symptoms gotten better or worse at any time?
6. Have any tests been performed to diagnose this complaint?
7. Have you consulted other dentists, physicians, or anyone else related to
this problem?
8. What have you done to treat these symptoms?

12. 3-PAST MEDICAL HISTORY(PMH):
The past medical history (PMH) includes information about any significant or serious illnesses a patient may
have had as a child or as an adult. The patient’s present medical problems are also enumerated under this
category. The PMH is usually organized into the following subdivisions:
(1) Serious or significant illnesses.
(2) Hospitalizations.
(3) Transfusions.
(4) Allergies.
(5) Medications.
(6) Pregnancy.

13. 2-PAST DENTAL HISTORY (PDH)
Despite its frequent omission from the dental record, the past dental
history (PDH) is one of the most important components of the patient
history.
This is especially evident when the patient presents with complicating
dental and medical factors such as restorative and periodontal needs
coupled with a systemic disorder such as diabetes.

14. Significant items that should be recorded routinely are the frequency of past
dental visits:
previous restorative, periodontic, endodontic, or oral surgical treatment.
 Reasons for loss of teeth; untoward complications of dental treatment.
Fluoride history, including supplements and the use of well water.
Attitudes towards previous dental treatment; experience with orthodontic
appliances and dental prostheses; and radiation or other therapy for oral or facial
lesions.

15. 4-FAMILY HISTORY
Serious medical problems in immediate family members (including parents, siblings,
and children) should be listed.
 Disorders known to have a genetic or environmental basis (such as certain forms of
cancer, cardiovascular disease including hypertension, allergies, asthma, renal
disease, stomach ulcers, diabetes mellitus, bleeding disorders, and sickle cell anemia)
should be addressed.

16. 5-SOCIAL HISTORY
Different social parameters should be recorded. These include marital status
(married, separated, divorced, single, or with a “significant other”); place of
residence (with family, alone, or in an institution); educational level; occupation;
religion; travels abroad; tobacco use (past and present use and amount); alcohol use
(past and present use and amount).
When obtaining the social history, the clinician should take into account the
patient’s chief complaint and PMH in order to gather specific information
pertinent to the patient’s dental management.

17. 5-EXAMINATION OF THE PATIENT
The routine oral examination (ie, thorough inspection, palpation, auscultation, and
percussion of the exposed surface structures of the head, neck, and face; detailed
examination of the oral cavity, dentition, oropharynx, and adnexal structures, as
customarily carried out by the dentist) should be carried out at least once annually or at
each recall visit

18. The examination procedure in dental office settings includes the following:
1.Registration of vital signs (respiratory rate, temperature, pulse, and blood
pressure).
2. Examination of the head, neck, and oral cavity, including salivary glands,
temporomandibular joints, and lymph nodes.
3. Examination of cranial nerve function.
4. Special examination of other organ systems.
5. Requisition of laboratory studies.

19. Normal values:
Normal respiratory rate during rest is 14 to 20 breaths per minute.
The normal oral (sublingual) temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), but oral temperatures < 37.8°C (100°F) are not
usually considered to be significant.
The normal resting pulse rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). A patient with a pulse rate >100
bpm (tachycardia),
Normal blood pressure Optimal Systolic Blood Pressure < 120 (mm Hg) and Diastolic Blood Pressure < 80
(mm Hg)

20. 1-Facial Structures:
Observe the patient’s skin for color, blemishes, moles, and other
pigmentation abnormalities; vascular abnormalities such as angiomas,
telangiectasias, nevi, and tortuous superficial vessels; and asymmetry,
ulcers, pustules, nodules, and swellings.
Note the color of the conjunctivae.

21. 2-Lips
Note lip color, texture, and any surface abnormalities as well as angular or vertical
fissures, lip pits, cold sores, ulcers, scabs, nodules, keratotic plaques, and scars. Palpate
upper lip and lower lip for any thickening (induration) or swelling.
Note orifices of minor salivary glands and the presence of Fordyce’s granules.
3-Cheeks
Note any changes in pigmentation and movability of the mucosa, a pronounced linea
alba, leukoedema, hyperkeratotic patches, intraoral swellings, ulcers, nodules, scars,
other red or white patches, and Fordyce’s granules.

22. 4-Maxillary and Mandibular Mucobuccal Folds
Observe color, texture, any swellings, and any fistulae. Palpate for swellings and
tenderness over the roots of the teeth and for tenderness of the buccinator insertion by
pressing laterally with a finger inserted over the roots of the upper molar teeth.
5-Hard Palate and Soft Palate
Illuminate the palate and inspect for discoloration, swellings, fistulae, papillary
hyperplasia, tori, ulcers, recent burns, leukoplakia, and asymmetry of structure or
function.
Examine the orifices of minor salivary glands. Palpate the palate for swellings and
tenderness.

23. 6-The Tongue
Inspect the dorsum of the tongue (while it is at rest) for any swelling, ulcers, coating, or
variation in size, color, and texture.
Observe the margins of the tongue and note the distribution of filiform and fungiform
papillae, depapillated areas, fissures, ulcers, and keratotic areas. Note the frenal
attachment and any deviations as the patient pushes out the tongue and attempts to move
it to the right and left.
Wrap a piece of gauze (4 cm × 4 cm) around the tip of the protruding tongue to steady
it, and lightly press a warm mirror against the uvula to observe the base of the tongue
and vallate papillae; note any ulcers or significant swellings.

24. 7-Floor of The Mouth
With the tongue still elevated, observe the openings of Wharton’s ducts, the salivary
pool, the character and extent of right and left secretions, and any swellings, ulcers, or
red or white patches.
Gently explore and display the extent of the lateral sublingual space, again noting ulcers
and red or white patches.
8-Gingivae
Observe color, texture, contour, and frenal attachments.
Note any ulcers, marginal inflammation, resorption, festooning, Stillman’s clefts,
hyperplasia, nodules, swellings, and fistulae.

25. 8-Teeth and Periodontium
Note missing or supernumerary teeth, mobile or painful teeth, caries, defective restorations, dental arch
irregularities, orthodontic anomalies, abnormal jaw relationships, occlusal interferences, the extent of
plaque and calculus deposits, dental hypoplasia, and discolored teeth.
9-Tonsils and Oropharynx
Note the color, size, and any surface abnormalities of tonsils and ulcers, tonsilloliths, and inspissated
secretion in tonsillar crypts. Palpate the tonsils for discharge or tenderness, and note restriction of the
oropharyngeal airway. Examine the faucial pillars for bilateral symmetry, nodules, red and white
patches, lymphoid aggregates, and deformities. Examine the postpharyngeal wall for swellings, nodular
lymphoid hyperplasia, hyperplastic adenoids, postnasal discharge, and heavy mucous secretions.

26. 9-Salivary Glands
Note any external swelling that may represent enlargement of a major salivary gland. A
significantly enlarged parotid gland will alter the facial contour and may lift the ear lobe;
an enlarged submandibular salivary gland (or lymph node) may distend the skin over the
submandibular triangle.
With minimal manipulation of the patient’s lips, tongue, and cheeks, note the presence of
any salivary pool, and note whether the mucosa is moist, covered with scanty frothy
saliva, or dry.

27. 10-Neck and Lymph Nodes
Examination of the neck is a natural extension of a routine dental examination and includes
examination of the submandibular and cervical lymph nodes (draining the oropharynx and
other tissues of the head and neck and anastomosing with lymphatics from the abdomen,
thorax, breast, and arm), the midline structures (hyoid bone, cricoid and thyroid cartilages,
trachea, and thyroid gland), and carotid arteries and neck veins.
With the patient’s neck extended, note the clavicle and the sternomastoid and trapezius
muscles, which define the anterior and posterior triangles of the neck. Palpate the hyoid
bone, the thyroid and cricoid cartilages, and the trachea, noting any displacement or
tenderness.

28. 11-Cranial Nerve Function
In examining patients with oral sensory or motor complaints, it is important to know if
there is any objective evidence of abnormality of cranial nerve function that might relate
to the patient’s oral symptoms.
A definitive answer to this question usually comes from specific testing of cranial nerve
function as part of a general physical examination carried out by either the patient’s
physician, an internist, or a neurologist. When the results of a neurologist’s examination
are not readily available, a cranial nerve examination carried out by the dentist.

29. Establishing The Diagnosis
In some circumstances, the diagnosis (ie, an explanation for the patient’s symptoms and identification of
other significant disease process) may be self-evident. When clinical data are more complex, the diagnosis
may be established by:
1. Reviewing the patient’s history and physical, radiographic, and laboratory examination data;
2. Listing those items that either clearly indicate an abnormality or that suggest the possibility of a significant
health problem requiring further evaluation.
3. Grouping these items into primary versus secondary symptoms, acute versus chronic problems, and high
versus low priority for treatment.
4. Categorizing and labeling these grouped items according to a standardized system for the classification
of disease.

30. Formulating A Plan Of Treatment And Assessing Medical Risk
Plan of Treatment
 The diagnostic procedures (history, physical examination, and imaging and laboratory studies) outlined
previously are designed to assist the dentist in establishing a plan of treatment directed at those disease
processes that have been identified as responsible for the patient’s symptoms.
 A plan of treatment of this type, which is directed at the causes of the patient’s symptoms rather than at the
symptoms themselves, is often referred to as rational, scientific, or definitive (in contrast to symptomatic,
which denotes a treatment plan directed at the relief of symptoms, irrespective of their causes).
 Like the diagnostic summary, the plan of treatment should be entered in the patient’s record and explained to
the patient in detail (procedure, chances for cure [prognosis], complications and side effects, and required
time and expense).

31.  45-year-old Caucasian female presents for evaluation of a swelling in her lower lip. The
swelling has been present for 1 month. Her past medical history is remarkable for several angina
attacks during the past 4 years. The angina is being treated with nitroglycerins only when
necessary. Patient is not taking any daily medications. No history of any other cardiovascular
disease. No chest pains for the past 6 months.. Examination reveals a 2 mm × 2 mm hard
nonmovable pea-shaped lesion 10 mm medial to the right lip commissure and 5 mm inferior to
the vermilion border.
The lesion is consistent with a traumatic injury of a minor salivary gland. Patient has been advised that the
lesion may resolve by itself or the she can have it surgically removed with local anesthesia. Any dental treatment
of this patient needs to address her cardiovascular condition.

32. Thank
you