The Department of Diagnostic Sciences encompasses three disciplines:
Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral Medicine, and Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology.

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology

Oral and maxillofacial pathology is a dental specialty that deals with diseases that affect the oral cavity, jaw bones, salivary glands, face, and temporomandibular joints. It is a branch of science that investigates the causes, processes, and effects of these diseases on the body. Our department's oral and maxillofacial pathologists are involved in the clinical and microscopic diagnosis of mucosal and submucosal lesions, as well as jaw lesions. Oral biopsy specimens are processed and diagnosed in the oral pathology laboratory utilizing both standard histochemical as well as cutting-edge techniques such as immunohistochemical staining.

Oral Medicine

Oral medicine is a branch of dentistry that focuses on diseases of the oral cavity. This includes the oral mucosa, its surrounding structures, and the oral manifestations of systemic diseases. Our oral medicine specialists are involved in clinical care through the following:

• The diagnosis and non-surgical management of oral lesions, such as oral ulcers and infections.
• The diagnosis and management of patients with other oral signs and symptoms, such as orofacial pain.
• Screening for oral cancer and potentially malignant lesions.
• Managing patients with oral complications resulting from systemic disease.

Oral And Maxillofacial Radiology

Oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMFR) is the specialty of dentistry and radiology discipline concerned with the production and interpretation of images and data produced by all modalities of radiation energy that are used for diagnosing and managing diseases and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region. Our OMRF specialists are involved in clinical care through the following:

• OMFR is concerned with radiation physics, biology, safety, and hygiene.
• The acquisition and interpretation of conventional and digital images for two-dimensional intraoral and extraoral images to diagnose and treat dental diseases and conditions.
• The acquisition and interpretation of advanced three-dimensional digital images: cone beam computed tomography (CT), medical CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and similar techniques to diagnose and treat oral-facial diseases and conditions.

Courses

The department is involved in teaching oral medicine, oral pathology, and oral radiology courses and is also involved in various research projects. The department also offers consultation services to practitioners dealing with challenging cases.

The courses provided by the department are:

• Basic Oral Sciences II (503)- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology module & Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology module
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (531, 731)
• Oral Medicine & Clinical Oral Pathology (632,732)
• Medical Problems in Dentistry (634)