Scope of oral medicine practice in Brazil: a cross-sectional analysis of 10,569 patient consultations.

Abstract

Objective: To characterize clinical practice at a reference Oral Medicine Service (OROCENTRO) of the Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas, Brazil, with an emphasis on patient medical profiles, diagnoses, diagnostic/treatment procedures, and follow-up, in order to increase the body of evidence in the literature on the scope of OM practice.

Study design: This retrospective cross-sectional observational study followed the Declaration of Helsinki and complied with STROBE guidelines. All patients seen for the first time during a 4-year period, as well as their follow-up consultations, were included.

Results: Among 2,613 patients with 10,569 follow-up consultations (mean duration: 15.2 months; range: 0-124 months), 39.8% (n = 1,041) exhibited risk behaviors (mean: 1.2; range: 1-4), and 45% (n = 1,177) presented comorbidities (mean: 2.1; range: 1-7). A total of 235 distinct diagnoses (recorded 3,260 times) were identified, with a mean of 1.2 diagnoses per patient (range: 1-8), of which the most prevalent were fibrous hyperplasia (n = 403/12.36%) and squamous cell carcinoma (n = 147/4.51%). Additionally, 133 distinct diagnostic/treatment clinical procedures (recorded 19,861 times) were performed, with a mean of 7.6 procedures per patient (range: 1-120) over the follow-up period.

Conclusions: This study offers a comprehensive characterization of the scope of clinical practice in a reference OM service in Brazil, representing the most extensive Dental School-based analyses. It emphasizes the diversity and multifaceted nature of OM practice, contributing significantly to the broader recognition and understanding of the specialty.