Casuistic and Importance of 10 Years of the Oral Medicine in a University Hospital

Introduction: Oral medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty that provides diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of oral diseases, as specialists recognize oral signs of systemic disease. General physicians have, usually, insufficient training to treat oral diseases, which supports the need of oral medicine in a university hospital.

Results: A total of 5,230 patients were evaluated; 53.3% were females, mean age 49.3 years for women and 52.7 years for men (p = 0.02). Xerostomia (9.2%), actinic cheilitis (9.1%), candidiasis (9.0%), fibrous inflammatory hyperplasia (8.7%), burning mouth (6.3%), and Lichen planus (5.9%) were more frequent oral diseases found among females (p < 0.05), while actinic cheilitis (23.9%), squamous cell carcinoma (12.2%), and traumatic lesions (2.3%) in males (p < 0.05). Potentially malignant disorders and squamous cell carcinoma accounted to 40.5% of the surgeries performed. Vermilionectomy was indicated for 31.1% afflicted by actinic cheilitis, and 34.8% showed dysplasia moderate or severe and 24.2% squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusion: Large number of diagnoses of principally potentially malignant disorders and lip squamous cell carcinoma show the importance of oral medicine in the contribution to health assistance and in the medical training.

Keywords: oral medicine, casuistic, medical training.