Oral pathology is the specialty of dentistry and a discipline of pathology which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions (areas of the mouth, jaw, face, head, neck and associated structures).
An oral pathologist is a dentist that specializes in the research and diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. An oral pathologist typically uses clinical, radiographic, microscopic, biochemical and other examinations.
Oral pathology is a recognized American Dental Association specialty of dentistry. Oral pathologists complete two to three years of additional specialized training, after the required four years of dental school.
Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are mucosal lesions, oral precancer, Oral cancer, tongue lesions, lip lesions, salivary diseases, bone diseases, tooth defects, anomalies, odontogenic cyst, leukoplakia (whitish patches in the mouth), erythroplakia (reddish patches in the mouth), candidiasis, geographic tongue, lichen planus, recurrent canker sores, aphthous ulcerations, and tobacco keratosis.
Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including bone grafting, biopsies, radiographs, X-rays, dental imaging, and oral cancer screening.
Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 536 practicing oral pathologists. Broken out by state, oral pathology doctor density in Alabama is 5, in Arizona is 11, in Arkansas is 4, in California is 85, in Colorado is 12, in Connecticut is 16, in Delaware is 2, in District of Columbia is 8, in Florida is 46, in Georgia is 16, in Hawaii is 4, in Idaho is 3, in Illinois is 22, in Indiana is 5, in Iowa is 6, in Kansas is 6, in Kentucky is 9, in Louisiana is 12, in Maine is 7, in Maryland is 30, in Massachusetts is 27, in Michigan is 18, in Minnesota is 16, in Mississippi is 2, in Missouri is 13, in Nebraska is 4, in Nevada is 1, in New Hampshire is 6, in New Jersey is 22, in New Mexico is 2, in New York is 76, in North Carolina is 15, in North Dakota is 1, in Ohio is 33, in Oklahoma is 5, in Oregon is 6, in Pennsylvania is 37, in Rhode Island is 3, in South Carolina is 12, in South Dakota is 2, in Tennessee is 18, in Texas is 50, in Utah is 6, in Vermont is 1, in Virginia is 12, in Washington is 16, in West Virginia is 2, and in Wisconsin is 13.
We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. Verify here.