University of Pittsburgh - School of Dental Medicine - Oral Medicine Clinic

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University of Pittsburgh - School of Dental Medicine
Oral Medicine Clinic
General Information:
Department: Oral Medicine and Pathology
Course number:
Day/Time: TBA
Room: Urgent Care Clinic
Course Director: James Guggenheimer, DDS G137 Salk Hall, 648-8773,
guggen@pitt.edu
Credit Hours/Year/Term: 2 h/years 2 and 3/varying terms
Required for oral and maxillofacial pathology residents. Open to other dental specialty
residents.
Course Goals: The goal of this series of courses is to train the student to be confident in
diagnosing and treating patients with moderately-difficult mucosal disease,
TMJ/myofascial pain, and headaches; and to expose him/her to the more difficult patients
in the faculty practice.
Related Accreditation Standards, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology residency:
4-2.4. Evaluation and management of patients.
Course Objectives: At the end of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Effectively interview a patient as to chief complaint, social history, medical
history, and dental history.
2. Collect and organize signs and symptoms into a coherent description.
3. Perform a complete head and neck external and intra-oral examination.
4. Order appropriate laboratory tests and radiographs.
5. Maintain a clear and concise patient record.
6. Establish a reasonable differential diagnosis.
7. Determine the need for consultation or referral.
8. Explain in lay terms the condition diagnosed, including prognosis.
9. Prescribe appropriate topical and systemic medications, and follow-up with dose
modification and refills.
10. Perform appropriate incisional or excisional biopsies.
11. Interpret the biopsy diagnosis and evaluate for further treatment.
12. Train and supervise first professional students in clinical oral medicine
procedures.
Evaluation methods: Evaluation of performance will be based subjectively on individual
performance in obtaining medical and dental history and symptomatology. The resident
will be evaluated for patient rapport, movement toward a differential diagnosis, and
evaluation of treatment options. There is no written final examination. Evaluation will
use the web-based student evaluation form.
Educational Resources: Oral medicine textbooks, handouts. Oral medicine atlases, for
example Atlas of Diseases of the Oral Mucosa, JJ Pindborg. Falk Health Sciences Library
on-line databases and periodicals.
Policy and procedures:
Grading policy: Students will be graded on an honors/satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
Remediation: Should the student fail to meet standards for clinic attendance or
appropriate patient follow-up, he/she will be counseled by the course director and be
required to treat additional patients.
Special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of
Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890 or (TTY) 412-
383-7355 as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine
reasonable accommodations for this course.
Course Schedule: Clinic time for the resident will be reserved for a half day a week in
the Urgent Care Clinic in the fall, spring, and summer of the second year and the spring
and summer of the third year. Should patients not be scheduled during that time, the
resident shall be available for consultation in that clinic and for supervising and teaching
third-year first professional dental students. In addition, while registered for the course,
the resident will accompany and observe faculty members during the times that they see
and treat patients in the faculty practice. During the course the resident will attend ENT
Tumor Board, Tuesdays from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Course Description: This required course comprises two main components. The first
component is observing and assisting the faculty member as he/she treats oral medicine
patients. The second component of the course is the residentǃÙs taking responsibility for
his/her own patients, under the direct supervision of a faculty member. A chair will be
reserved in the Urgent Care Clinic for the residentǃÙs patients. The resident will be
responsible for diagnosing and treating the patients, under the direct supervision of a
member of the Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology. The type of conditions seen
may vary greatly, depending on the patients assigned to the resident. The resident should
expect to diagnose and treat mucosal diseases, including lichen planus, aphthae, burning
mouth syndrome, and fungal infections. In addition, head and neck pain patients,
including headaches, myofascial pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and other nonodontogenic
pain may be treated. The student should also be exposed to incisional and
excisional biopsy procedures. Proper barrier protection techniques will be emphasized.
When no patients are assigned to the resident in the clinic, he/she will assist the clinic
staff in urgent care triage, an in training the third-year dental students in patient
assessment and diagnosis.
The experience at ENT tumor board will expose the student to scientific progress in the
field (first Tuesday of the month) and to the proposed treatments and outcomes of the
ENT cases seen at the complex of hospitals and clinics that make up the medical center.
Tumor Board will also allow the resident to participate in multidisciplinary treatment
planning.