Oral Medicine Specialists

What is Oral Medicine?

Oral medicine is concerned with the diagnosis and non-surgical management of medical problems and disorders involving the tissues of the mouth, salivary glands, and jaws.

What is a specialist in Oral Medicine?

Specialists in Oral Medicine are usually consultants who work within academic units, such as teaching dental hospitals. They provide undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as contributing the diagnosis and non-surgical medical management of patients.

What treatments can a specialist in Oral Medicine carry out?

Patients are normally referred to dental hospitals by their GDP for the diagnosis and medical management or treatment of disorders of the mouth. Consultants will carry out a thorough history and examination, and usually carry out further investigations to confirm the diagnosis. This may include swabs and smears for cultures and pathological analysis, or blood tests. Patients are sometimes then referred to a specialist in Oral Surgery who may remove a sample of tissue (biopsy) for histopathological analysis (microscopic analysis). The treatments provided by specialists in Oral Medicine are non-surgical and will normally involve advice on management of the disorders, identification and removal of risk factors, and the issuing of prescriptions to help manage or cure conditions.

What additional training and qualifications does a specialist in Oral Medicine need?

Both dental and medical qualifications are required, as well as a MFDS or equivalent.

A Diploma of Membership in Oral Medicine (MOMed) is required to apply for the CCST. To sit the MOMed examination, candidates must have at least two years postgraduate clinical experience and have completed three years full-time (or part-time equivalent) in SAC approved training posts, courses and programmes of training.