Evidence-based practice of oral pathology and oral medicine

Oral pathology is the specialty area of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis and management of oral diseases and more specifically, diseases other than dental caries, periodontal disease, restorative dentistry, and orthodontic therapy. Oral medicine represents the clinical arm of oral pathology and deals with diagnosis and treatment of soft-tissue lesions, whereas oral histopathology is the specialty area that focuses on the microscopic diagnosis of soft- and hard-tissue lesions of the head and neck area. The diagnosis and treatment of oral pathologic conditions is often based on empirical decision-making and many approaches to treatment have not been well-supported by clinicopathologic studies. The need for evidence-based, scientifically documented approaches to both diagnosis and treatment is eminent. Specific diagnostic criteria are lacking for many oral diseases, and therapeutic strategies have not been assessed by the gold standard of placebo-controlled, double-blind trials. Additionally, there are scientific data in the published literature that continue to be ignored by dental practitioners who manage patients with oral pathologic conditions. In this article, specific disease entities that are commonly managed by oral pathologists and oral medicine practitioners will be discussed with recommendations for future scientific studies that can serve as a framework for evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.