The Value of the Oral Medicine Specialty in the Modern Healthcare Systems

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Oral medicine is a subdiscipline of dentistry that concerns itself with the oral health of patients; it focuses on providing diagnosis and management of oral and maxillofacial diseases, as well as direct dental care for those in medically complex situations. As primary healthcare providers, physicians and dentists are often the first to evaluate patients with orofacial symptoms and make diagnoses related to oral health, whether explicit or manifested through systemic diseases. However, a lack of familiarity with oral medicine among healthcare providers often leads to significant delays in the accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of many oral and maxillofacial disorders. It has been well established that a lack of training and education in oral health among physicians is an impediment to alleviating the situation. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> Several studies and scientific reports in the medical community have shown a greater professional interest in oral health and medicine, with numerous recent articles reflecting a clear rise in multiple factors: an increased interest in additional training and a rise in oral diseases. This review focuses on the need for a multidisciplinary approach in modern healthcare systems that implements the oral medicine specialty. It also serves to emphasize the role of oral medicine in medical training and education, while simultaneously discussing the prevalence of oral diseases and awareness of oral health among physicians in Saudi Arabia. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> The prevalence of oral health conditions in Saudi Arabia appears to be high yet is accompanied by a scarcity of oral medicine specialists in this part of the world. Furthermore, numerous studies have revealed that physicians from different specialties in Saudi Arabia lack training in oral health and possess an insufficient awareness of the oral medicine specialty. This paucity of oral medicine specialists in Saudi Arabia presents a key issue as the clinical services and medical education provided by such specialists in healthcare systems can have a profound positive impact on each patient’s quality of life and health outcomes, as well as the standards of physicians’ training.

Impact of Rheumatic Diseases on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

“…Moreover, some private clinics may lack the facilities in case of an emergency in the dental chair, thus creating treatment challenges. Bindakhil et al mentioned that one barrier to diagnosing and treating oral and maxillofacial disorders was the absence of qualified and trained physicians [ 15 ].…”

Integrating Oral Medicine within Saudi Arabia’s Healthcare Systems

“…There however remain differences in OM practices within different worldwide healthcare schemes, perhaps due to the recent recognition of OM as a speciality compared to other medical and dental specialities with the lack of consensus on its definition and scope of practice [8]. Similar considerations were highlighted in the earlier review by Bindakhil et al [1] toward the OM practice in Saudi. To address these limitations, several steps could help better recognition and integration within healthcare systems in the KSA.…”

“…Moreover, there was no clear indication that these specialists/consultants obtained “OM qualification” as some might be qualified in another speciality of a related scope of practice (e.g., oral and maxillofacial surgery, special care dentistry, and orofacial pain). Thus, information about the estimated number of OM practitioners in Saudi and the number of patients seen by those practitioners is yet lacking [1]. It is also notable that some OM units of the public hospitals have allocated the patient’s access for treatment primarily to their employees.…”

“…For instance, increasing the public fund for OM services and promoting the web-based sources to locate the OM units available within the area by patients and healthcare professionals. In addition, OM could be actively integrated into the curricula, clinical rotation, and continued professional development activities of related medical specialities [1].…”

“…Dear Editor, I write with reference to the informative review conducted by Bindakhil et al [1] about the essence of oral medicine (OM) in healthcare systems, specifically in Saudi Arabia. This review highlighted the need for multidisciplinary teamwork in OM clinical practices, which frequently include managing oral chronic conditions that could be painful, affecting the oral health-related quality of life and perhaps be life-threatening [2,3].…”