Unit Code: DNT738

Unit Name: Oral Medicine and Pathology

Description: The purpose of this course is to provide introduce students to general concepts of oral medicine and oral pathology. The first part of the course covers the basic concepts of general pathology. The second part focuses on common oral pathologic disorders and is of particular relevance and importance to practice of the future oral health practitioner. Oral pathology covers the epidemiology, clinical features, aetiology, pathogenesis, investigations and behaviour of oral diseases, and is also closely linked with the management of oral diseases, adjunct investigations such as, laboratory tests, imaging and clinical therapeutics. Students develop critical thinking skills in clinical reasoning when presented with cases, where they explain mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, rationale and selection of the most appropriate diagnostic tests for confirmation, and modalities of appropriate management or referral. The oral medicine component focuses on systemic conditions that may present as oral manifestations. It also introduces students to systemic diseases that may have implications in the management of dental patients and aims at enabling students to recognize them and manage them appropriately.

Learning Target Outcomes: On successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the general concepts and principles of Pathology 2. Demonstrate clinical reasoning skills when assessing patient with oral pathological conditions. 3. Describe the histology and clinical significance of the oral mucosa in relation to oral pathological conditions. 4. Describe the characteristics and management of intraoral ulcers. 5. Discuss the general characteristics of benign and malignant tumours including odontogenic cyst and benign tumours/benign epithelial neoplasms, oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma. 6. Describe the clinical features and oral manifestation of bacterial, viral and fungal infections. 7. Discuss the pathophysiology, immediate medical management and dental consideration of common systemic diseases.

Prerequisite: Passed all Level 6 courses in Year 2

Prerequisite Sentence: N/A

Credit Point: 15

Offered In: Semester 1