Abstract
Medically unexplained oral symptoms/syndromes (MUOS), so-called oral psychosomatic disorder, characterized by unknown and refractory chronic pain and uncomfortable feeling in the orofacial region, is a problem that needs psychosomatic approaches. We have been constructing an oral psychosomatic medicine system that integrates clinical practice, education and research.
In the treatment of patients diagnosed as “psychological problem”, we try to avoid overtreatment and use the minimum medication based on the evidence-based dentistry and appropriate examination. We also empathetically and carefully treat the patients and their families, who tend to be ignored at other medical institutions, with cognitive behavioral therapy or medical guidance to regulate their life. In addition, we introduce a Psychiatry In Primary Care (PIPC) employing a MAPSO (Mood, Anxiety, Psychosis, Substance-induced, Organic/Others) medical interview system, in order to efficiently obtain important information and to distinguish psychiatric diseases from MUOS.
In dental students’education, we focus not only on the conventional knowledge gained through lectures or books but also on the actual learning through a clinical experience, to develop dentists who can think from PDM (Physical Dental Mental). The 6th grade students have an opportunity to conduct a preliminary examination on a real patient with the MAPSO medical interview system in a comprehensive clinical practice.
Our research aims at revealing the nature of oral psychosomatic disorder by analyzing clinical data, and giving research outcomes back to clinical practices.
In this article, we report our clinical cases and discuss the approach to oral psychosomatic disorders.
