Oral conditions

Rationale

Although many conditions can affect the oral cavity, odontogenic infections—particularly dental caries and periodontal infections—are the most common. Beyond discomfort, these infections may lead to serious complications. Ruling out oral carcinoma is essential.

Causal Conditions

(list not exhaustive)

1. Congenital (e.g., cleft palate)
2. Acquired
   1. Infection (e.g., candidiasis, gonococcal infection)
   2. Malignancy (e.g., adenocarcinoma, leukoplakia)
   3. Poor oral hygiene (e.g., dental caries, periodontal disease)
   4. Trauma (e.g., abuse)
   5. Toxic ingestion
   6. Xerostomia (e.g., age, medications)
   7. Systemic diseases (e.g., lichen planus, Behçet disease)

Key Objectives

Given a patient with an oral condition, the candidate will diagnose the likely cause, severity, and complications, and will initiate an appropriate management plan. In particular, the candidate will determine whether the patient requires specialized care.

Enabling Objectives

Given a patient with an oral condition, the candidate will

1. list and interpret critical clinical findings, including
   1. signs of potential malignancy, and
   2. signs of infection;
2. list critical investigations and interpret the results of the investigations, including those required to exclude suspected systemic disease;
3. construct an effective initial management plan, including
   1. counselling and educating the patient and/or the caregivers about oral hygiene and diet (e.g., promoting proper oral hygiene in older adults [≥ 65 years], limiting sugar-containing drinks in children),
   2. counselling on smoking cessation and alcohol use if needed, and
   3. referring for specialized care when indicated.