Care
Oral medicine or stomatology
As a preamble, it is worth recalling that stomatology is a medical-surgical specialty covering the study and treatment of disorders of the entire oral cavity and related tissues or organs (teeth, oral mucosa and underlying soft tissues, maxillae and salivary glands). In Switzerland, the term stomatology is used in a restricted sense: it refers solely to medical activity; the surgical component is defined by the term oral surgery.
Even when limited to the medical aspect, stomatology is a vast field with a wide range of more or less frequent conditions. Most of these are specific to the oral cavity (bacterial or viral infections, dental cysts, parafunctions, paresthesias, benign tumors, cancers, etc.), but some are related to skin disorders (lichen planus, bullous diseases, etc.) or systemic disorders (hemopathies, autoimmune diseases, etc.).
The treatment process involves a number of steps, which are the same as for any medical treatment: a questionnaire on the history of the disease and medical and surgical antecedents, an examination of the oral cavity and, if necessary, additional tests (medical imaging, biopsy, blood tests, etc.) to establish a precise diagnosis. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment is proposed: either medication or surgery. In some cases, a detailed report is sent to the attending physician for treatment and follow-up. More rarely (cancers and bullous diseases), the patient is referred to the appropriate department of the Geneva University Hospitals.
For the past ten years, Honorary Professor Jacky Samson, who for 15 years was head of the Department of Stomatology and Oral Surgery at the University of Geneva, has been treating patients with oral medical conditions at the Centre médico-dentaire de Balexert. He is the only dentist in French-speaking Switzerland to hold the title of specialist in Stomatology, and his reputation extends far beyond the French-speaking part of the country: patients from Ticino and neighbouring France regularly consult him.
Practitioners who can deal with the problem
