Oral Medicine

The specialty of Oral Medicine deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical management of patients with chronic / recurrent, benign conditions of the oral mucosa and facial pain. These conditions are often intractable and related to systemic disease requiring multi-disciplinary care.

Referrals for children, adolescents and adults are accepted from primary and secondary care.

The Oral Medicine service is delivered on two sites within NHS Lothian:

• Edinburgh, Mid- and East Lothian patients – Oral Medicine at the Edinburgh Dental Institute. On SCI Gateway access is via Lauriston (Oral Health).
• West Lothian patients – refer to Oral Medicine at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, where patients are managed by the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgical team.
  
  All those suspected of having cancer must be referred to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at St John’s Hospital. 
  
  The conditions managed include:
• Recurrent oral ulceration
• Herpes labialis
• Angular cheilitis
• Chronic Oral candidiasis
• Geographic tongue
• Oral white patches
• White sponge naevus
• Vesiculobullous disorders
• Suspected drug reactions
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
• Acute or chronic facial pain of non-odontogenic origin
• Burning mouth syndrome
• Medical Salivary disorders, including dry mouth, Sjögren’s syndrome and excess salivation
• Oral facial granulomatosis
• Suspected orofacial allergic disorders
• Oral lesions in immunocompromised patients.

Associated specialties are:

• ORAL SURGERY– deals with the diagnosis and management of pathology of the mouth and jaws that requires surgical intervention, but where cancer is not suspected.
• ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY (OMFS) – the diagnosis and management of benign and malignant diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck. The team at St John’s Hospital delivers the only OMFS service for NHS Lothian and does so for patients of all ages, including children.