Examination of the oral cavity – examination of the oral cavity is primarily the job of a dental specialist/oral surgeon, and in some cases of an ENT specialist or a specialist gastroenterologist.
The oral cavity’s examination includes inspection, palpation and instrumental examination of the teeth, the oral cavity’s lining, the tongue and the oral cavity’s surrounding bony structures.
If this raises the possibility of a disease, the examining doctor may order further imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MR]) or instrumental (endoscopy, aspiration cytology) examinations.
The oral cavity– we can also examine it ourselves, looking at our reflection, which can help us notice certain abnormalities (e.g. a loose tooth, inflamed or bleeding gums), white, patchy changes on the lining (leukoplakia, aphthae), or smaller or larger lumps and colour changes (e.g. red tongue, black hairy tongue), and see a specialist in good time.
