Oriental medicine in dentistry

Abstract

The philosophy of Oriental medicine differs markedly from that of modern Western medicine. The concepts and logic of Oriental medicine are shared by East Asian countries and are based on ancient Asian medical physiology established as long as 3000 years ago. Some dental specialists are now advocating the use of Oriental medical concept in dental practice. In Oriental medicine, the oral cavity is considered organically associated with the rest of the body;the teeth and oral cavity are components of the entire network of organs rather than isolated body parts. In this paper, we compare the basic concepts of Oriental and Western medicine, and discuss how to concepts of Oriental medicine apply to dentistry and how to diagnose patients in accordance with these concepts. On the basis of detailed descriptions of the anatomy of the jaw and oral cavity, treatment is determind for dental pain, periodontal disease, temporomandibular dysfunction, and extractions under acupuncture anesthesia.