TY - JOUR

T1 - Past and future perspectives of oral medicine in the Nordic countries as a reflection of the global community

AU - Bankvall, Maria

AU - Garming Legert, Karin

AU - Hasséus, Bengt

AU - Rautava, Jaana

AU - Richter, Svend

AU - Pedersen, Anne Marie Lynge

AU - Gjerde, Cecilie Gudveig

AU - Barkvoll, Pål

AU - Brokstad Herlofson, Bente

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - The nature of the diseases that oral medicine specialistsdiagnose and manage throughout the oral andmaxillofacial region are diverse and closely related toother dental and medical specialties.• This relatively young area of dentistry has expandedglobally during the past decade as an independentdiscipline with postgraduate qualifying programmesbeing offered in several countries, as well as anincreasing research community.• With a growing proportion of elderly individuals in thepopulation in general across the world, morbidity islikely to increase in terms of both general diseases andconditions in the oral and maxillofacial region. Thetypes of diseases requiring treatment may also differ inthe future due to a greater influx of immigrants to theNordic countries.• The wide variety of conditions encountered in a dentalpractice, as well as variations in the individual patientpresentation and response to treatment, defines theneed for careful evaluation and synthesis of practicerecommendations to provide appropriate and effectivemanagement. The field of oral medicine still lacks clearguidelines for various conditions and treatments. Thus,further studies are required to improve patienthealthcare.• For the discipline of oral medicine, it will be reasonableto take a greater responsibility for the basic medicalskills in the dental curriculum, as modern oral medicineis increasingly becoming the intermediate betweenoral health care and general medicine.

AB - The nature of the diseases that oral medicine specialistsdiagnose and manage throughout the oral andmaxillofacial region are diverse and closely related toother dental and medical specialties.• This relatively young area of dentistry has expandedglobally during the past decade as an independentdiscipline with postgraduate qualifying programmesbeing offered in several countries, as well as anincreasing research community.• With a growing proportion of elderly individuals in thepopulation in general across the world, morbidity islikely to increase in terms of both general diseases andconditions in the oral and maxillofacial region. Thetypes of diseases requiring treatment may also differ inthe future due to a greater influx of immigrants to theNordic countries.• The wide variety of conditions encountered in a dentalpractice, as well as variations in the individual patientpresentation and response to treatment, defines theneed for careful evaluation and synthesis of practicerecommendations to provide appropriate and effectivemanagement. The field of oral medicine still lacks clearguidelines for various conditions and treatments. Thus,further studies are required to improve patienthealthcare.• For the discipline of oral medicine, it will be reasonableto take a greater responsibility for the basic medicalskills in the dental curriculum, as modern oral medicineis increasingly becoming the intermediate betweenoral health care and general medicine.

U2 - 10.56373/2024-1-4

DO - 10.56373/2024-1-4

M3 - Journal article

VL - 134

SP - 10

EP - 20

JO - Norske Tannlegeforenings Tidende

JF - Norske Tannlegeforenings Tidende

SN - 0029-2303

IS - 1

ER -