Oral Pathology and Microbiology

Oral Pathology (also known as oral and maxillofacial pathology/head and neck pathology) is a specialized field of pathology dealing with the diseases of oral cavity and its associated structures (i.e., teeth, tongue; bony tissue [maxilla and mandible]; joint [temporomandibular joint]; lymph nodes; nerves; structures in neck and blood vessels of the ear, nose and throat [pharynx and larynx]).

The practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology & oral microbiology includes diagnosis of diseases using clinical, radiographic, microscopic, hematological, biochemical, microbiological, immunological, ultrastructural or other molecular/genetic examinations.

According to the Medical Council of India (MCI), dentistry is one of the recognized branches of modern scientific medicine and taught during Phase III of MBBS curriculum as a part of surgery. Dentistry is the 29th broad medical specialty as per National Medical Commission (NMC), Teachers Eligibility Qualifications in Medical Institutions Regulations, 2022. As per the Dental Council of India (DCI), oral pathology and microbiology is one of the nine recognized specialties under dentistry. Therefore, oral pathology is not only a branch of dentistry but also of pathology and, in turn, related to medicine. Like other branches of pathology, oral & maxillofacial pathology is also a recognized international specialty of pathology, and this fact has already been acknowledged by the Royal College of Pathologists, United Kingdom.