Past and future perspectives of oral medicine in the
Nordic countries
Maria Bankvall, Karin Garming Legert, Bengt
Hasséus, Jaana Rautava, Svend Richter, Anne Marie
Lynge Pedersen, Cecilie Gudveig Gjerde, Pål Barkvoll
and Bente Brokstad Herlofson
Tandläkartidningen 2024; 116 (2): 50–60
Characteristics of diseases that oral medicine specialists diagnose and treat in the oral and maxillofacial region are diverse, and often closely related
to other dental and medical specialties.
Differences are apparent for what defines oral
medicine across the Nordic countries. Specialty
training in this discipline is offered in Sweden,
whereas for the other Nordic countries, it is included primarily within oral and maxillofacial surgery
or oral pathology specialist training. Furthermore,
there are no specific research training programmes
in oral medicine in any Nordic country, yet many
published doctoral theses are oral medicine related.
For all Nordic countries, specific knowledge in
oral medicine is required to support the aging population and increasing immigration influx. Additionally, the advancement of medical treatments,
often affecting the oral and maxillofacial region,
creates a new panorama for the discipline, which
requires oral medicine to become more integrated
into primary health care. Oral diseases should be
just as important to prevent and treat as diseases
affecting other parts of the body. This can be
achieved through interdisciplinary collaborations
and educational programmes. Therefore, looking
to the future, the speciality of oral medicine should
more greatly emphasize oral health care in general
medicine.