Oral Medicine Clinical Rotation

Catalog description

The Oral Medicine Clinical Course consists of 5 half-day rotations as assigned from the Office of Academic Affairs in the Summer, Fall, or Spring semesters of the Senior year (D4). During the fall semester, all students will be scheduled for one full day rotation. Oral Medicine C includes evaluation of SDM patients with oral mucosal disorder(s), salivary gland disease(s), temporomandibular disorders, or facial pain. Student doctors obtain and assess the comprehensive medical and oral health status of the patients. Students gain knowledge of general and specialty medical issues including physical examination findings, associated laboratory medicine and other medical studies. The Oral Medicine clinical care rotation also includes experience in performing an intraoral and extraoral exam such that the student is to be able to recognize deviations from normal findings and perform a head and neck cancer examination and issue a risk assessment. Examination of the cranial nerves, temporomandibular joint, and masticatory muscles will be stressed when indicated by the patient’s symptoms. The student will also gain experience in differential diagnosis, the appropriate selection and ordering of indicated laboratory tests, advanced imaging and initiating a medical consult request as a mechanism used to communicate with peers and other healthcare professionals when appropriate. Additionally, the student will select the frequency of clinical monitoring of the patient based upon the patient’s complexity and clinical status.