he future of the oral medicine specialty appears promising, driven by several key trends and developments:

In summary, the future of oral medicine looks bright, with increased recognition, technological advancements, and a growing focus on the interplay between oral and systemic health driving the specialty forward.

Oral medicine is now at the intersection of medicine and dentistry and will always have to rely on interdisciplinary collaboration with various medical specialties.

By refining radiography methods, we can reduce exposure to ionizing radiation and thus make significant changes to the general health care system.

I think it is important to address the diagnostic issues associated with potentially malignant oral diseases. Also in this area, the potential pitfalls around the use of oral medications should be discussed.

We will need to consider a range of conditions that provide an overview of typical clinical practice in oral medicine and explore its relevance to pediatric patients.

We must always remember that dentistry is not a business. As medical professionals, we have a responsibility to continue to defend this principle regardless of the political or financial constraints. Medicine has a lengthy history and human role models, who sacrificed their lives for humanity.

The future needs in oral medicine are becoming increasingly recognized, as a result, this sector is becoming an increasingly important field, especially as the population ages and new diseases emerge, especially in in medically impaired persons.@

Nel futuro potremmo assistere ad un aumento di patologie legate agli stili di vita e abusi, soprattutto nei giovani. Ritengo doverosa una preparazione specifica in tal senso, per la salvaguardia dei pazienti

My post today is based on an article I recently came across. “The future of oral medicine” by Prof. Spielman (NYU), is an engaging read that highlights the issue of the Oral Medicine speciality’s “identity crisis”. This article delves into the reality that at its core, oral medicine is a medical specialty, yet given the historical perspective that the oral cavity is in the domain of dentistry, this speciality too remains with it. Spielman goes on to ask if Medicine should accept oral medicine as a new speciality, and convincingly argues that Medicine already has a long relationship in taking care of the oral cavity. He points out that many different medical specialties currently treat conditions with oral symptoms; including dermatology, rheumatology, ear nose and throat, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology, transplant surgery and neurology. It only makes logical sense to suggest that a unifying specialty like oral medicine be a natural referral point for all medical specialties that see oral symptoms.

Spielman also goes onto explain the perceived role of oral medicine; to detect oral cancer and oral pathology, provide a definitive diagnosis which is then managed by specialist oral surgery. Given the rapidly increasing knowledge in medical research and technology, there may come a day when the role of oral surgery is replaced by immunotherapy, and diagnosis of oral cancer is based on technological devices, resulting in detection, diagnosis and management all occurring in the same place. With that in mind, a transition between specialities that create an interprofessional and patient-centred care environment is required. Spielman goes on to argue that moving oral medicine to the field of medicine may make that transition seamless.

But, what about the now? Spielman provides a convincing argument for why Oral Medicine should become a medical specialty, but personally, I think the focus shouldn’t entirely be on which side oral medicine falls, rather how well the specialty integrates the two fields together. The West Australian health system currently lacks this integration. Most medical specialties aren’t aware that Oral Medicine exists, which in turn only results in patients with oral symptoms missing out on appropriate care. What is unifying for both fields however is the consistent push for improving patient care. Oral Medicine has a unique role to play in patient-centred management and steps of recognition and integration of this specialty into the medical field will be an important step to improving health services and in turn patient care.

in this article the link below: Spielman AI.

The future of oral medicine. Oral Diseases. 2018. 24 (1-2): 285-288. https://doiorg.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/10.1111/odi.12739

very bright