How Oral Medicine Practice Is Reported: A Scoping Review of 114,971 Patients

Area of Science:

• Oral Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Clinical Practice Characterization

Background:

• Oral Medicine Services (OMS) play a crucial role in diagnosing and managing oral conditions.
• Characterizing the scope of OMS clinical practice is essential for service evaluation and development.
• Existing literature may not fully capture the breadth of OMS activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify variables used to describe OMS clinical practice scope.
• To identify gaps in the literature regarding these variables.
• To guide future research on characterizing oral medicine practices.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searches conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, LILACS) and grey literature.
• Assessment of variables including referral source, age, sex, medical profile, diagnosis, procedures, and follow-up.

Main Results:

• 12 studies met eligibility criteria, covering 15 OMS in 10 countries and 114,971 patients.
• Most studies reported on referral source, age, sex, and diagnosis.
• Some studies focused on characterizing OMS practice broadly, others on specific aspects.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in the literature describing the scope of OMS practice.
• Areas needing further documentation include patient follow-up, the range of procedures, and patient medical profiles.
• Future research should address these gaps to provide a comprehensive understanding of OMS.