2008 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 327-334
The treatment areas covered within the specialty of dentistry and oral surgery are generally defined as “places affecting the lips, buccal mucosa, superior and inferior alveoli, hard palate, anterior 2/3 of tongue, floor of mouth, soft palate, jaw bone (including mandibular joint), and salivary glands (excluding parotid gland).”
However, the regulations for these dentistry and oral surgery treatment areas have no legally binding authority, and so the fact is that today dentistry and oral surgery departments and clinics overtly conduct medical practice in the neck and head regions.
We conducted a questionnaire survey of 120 fifth-year students in the Aichi Gakuin University School of Dentistry on medical practices in the oral and pharyngeal regions.
The questionnaire was focused on the following four items:
1. The area of medical care covered by the specialty of dentistry and oral surgery
2. Is the palatine tonsil an area to be treated in dentistry and oral surgery?
3. The treatment of dysphagia (aspiration)
4. The treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)
The following results were obtained:
1. The currently defined range of medical care in the specialty of dentistry and oral surgery was considered to be “an appropriate range” by 69.2% of respondents, and “too narrow” by 23.3% of students.
2. With regard to the palatine tonsil, 50.0% were of the opinion that “it should be treated in some cases, ” and 25.8% that it is “subject to treatment” in the field.
3. With regard to the treatment of dysphagia, 57.5% thought that “involvement should be focused on oral care, ” and 37.5% that “involvement should be by the team leader.”
4. In the treatment of OSAS, 82.5% thought that “they should be involved in mild cases in which oral appliances are effective.”
These results are reported with some consideration of the literature.
