Introduction to Oral Medicine Flashcards
what is oral medicine
- Speciality of dentistry with core interest in managing;
○ Soft tissue diseases in the mouth including cancer risk
○ Oral changes as a result of other medical system disease
○ Non-odontogenic facial pain
A range of non-dental problems within the mouth
what is an amalgam tattoo
Blue pigmentation of the gingiva is as a result of amalgam, being used as a filling material, getting into the soft tissues and then presenting as a pigment
histologically it will present as large black circles which is the amalgam being taken up by phagocytic cells within the tissues
is geographic tongue benign or malignant
beign
how is a medicine induced oral ulceration dealt with
oral medicine specialists
identify medicine and change it
lesion will not go away on its own
what is lichen planus
- Immunological damage to the oral mucosa caused by lymphocytes in the connective tissue
○ This damage can thicken or thin the oral mucosa leading to a
§ white appearance when it is thickening
Red appearance when it is thinning
why does a lot of skin conditions present in the mouth
As the oral mucosa is derived from the same embryological tissue as skin, a lot of the skin conditions seen in dermatology can also appear inside the mouth
why are some mucosal diseases treated as allergies
Conditions where the background allergy is made obvious by the development of a new condition
eg Orofacial granulomatosis
what dietary allergens are tested for in oral disease
○ Benzoate and sorbate
§ E210-219
§ Used as preservatives - very common in food stuffs
○ Cinnamon aldehyde
○ Chocolate
○ Citrus fruits
○ Cheese
Nickel
what is pemphigoid
a vesicular bullous problem
Forms large blisters in the mouth and skin
what is sytemic sclerosis and how does it affect dentistry
= elastic tissue in the body is gradually lost
Leads to problems with swallowing as the oesophagus can’t stretch around food
○ and also with things such as opening the mouth
§ The patient on the bottom right cannot open his mouth any wider because the elastic tissue in the face has been lost so there is no stretch left
Makes dentistry difficult - needs planned for well in advance, perhaps 10 years ahead
when is oral candidiasis likely to present in a patient
this will happen when the immune system has been reduced
○ Can happen during treatments such as bone marrow transplant or cancer chemotherapy
Or can also happen with viral infections such as HIV
how can an acoustic neuroma present in the mouth
- = cancer which forms on the 8th cranial nerve
- But because of the positioning of the nerves at the brainstem, this 8th nerve lesion might not show up to the patient except through changes to the trigeminal or facial nerve
Ie the patient might present with numbness or weakness of the face but actually the cause is a tumour inside the brain
- But because of the positioning of the nerves at the brainstem, this 8th nerve lesion might not show up to the patient except through changes to the trigeminal or facial nerve
how is facial pain assessed
Pain is assessed differently depending on the age and the communication of the patient
what is temporal arteritis
Temporal arteritis is an inflammation within the artery which leads to limitation of blood flow to the facial tissues
what is nociceptive pain caused by
caused by activity in neural pathways in response to potentially tissue damaging stimulie
