Oral Medicine, the 11th specialty

In a letter to the board of trustees and academy membership, The American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM), announced that the board of the National Commission on the Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards voted in favor of recognizing Oral Medicine as a specialty at its March meeting. This announcement makes Oral Medicine the 11th recognized dental specialty of the American Dental Association, along with dental anesthesiology, dental public health, endodontics, oral & maxillofacial pathology, oral & maxillofacial radiology, oral & maxillofacial surgery orthodontics pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics. In the application submitted to the commission by the AAOM, oral medicine is defined as a “specialty of dentistry responsible for the oral health care of medically compromised patients and for the diagnosis and management of medically related disorders or conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region”. Dr. Michaell Huber, professor in the department of comprehensive dentistry and oral medicine clinic director, served as president of the AAOM during 2013-2014 and has been a strong proponent for seeking oral medicine specialty status through the years. Dr. Craig S. Miller, who was key in drafting much of the AAOM’s application, is a UT Health San Antonio '87 alumnus, who also received his oral medicine training at the School of Dentistry. Dr. Huber revealed that Dr. Miller “was instrumental in our efforts to attain recognition; Dr. Miller was our main protagonist.” To learn more about the UT Health San Antonio Oral Medicine Clinic, watch this short video. To read the official American Dental Association’s announcement, click here.