The knowledge and attitude of physicians' toward the oral medicine specialty

Objectives: Oral medicine is a specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the nonsurgical management of disorders and conditions affecting the oral cavity and the oral health care of medically compromised patients. This study assessed the attitude of physicians toward the use of oral medicine services in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A validated survey was sent, by email and social media, randomly, to medical practitioners located in different cities in Saudi Arabia. This was conducted between October 2017 and December 2017. Results: Sixty-five physicians (33 %) completed the survey. The majority were in their 30 s; 60 % were male, and 29 % were dermatologists. Sixty percent of physicians knew about this specialty but about half of them did not refer cases to oral medicine specialists. Some of them did not know any oral medicine specialists, while others simply diagnosed and treated cases by themselves. Conclusion: There is slight knowledge of the oral medicine specialty among medical practitioners in Saudi Arabia, indicating that oral medicine specialists should spend more effort to increase awareness of the specialty which will improve the quality of health care.