Minimum intervention dentistry in oral medicine

Oral medicine sits at the interface of medicine and dentistry. Minimum intervention dentistry (MID) borrows a medical model of disease control by oral health professionals. As an oral physician, the oral medicine specialist practices MID on a daily basis. With the advent of sophisticated early detection and diagnostic technology, and the growing understanding of oral diseases at the microscopic and molecular levels, all oral health practitioners can contribute to the practice of oral medicine from a MID perspective. MID in oral medicine allows the practice of comprehensive oral care where the patient is fully engaged in their own healthcare, with the use of advanced diagnostic technology, the application of medicines and therapeutics depending on disease processes, important risk assessment of both the oral disease and the affected patient with identification of those at high risk, monitoring of compliance, and patient recall. In this article we highlight minimum intervention in oral medicine by exploring oral cancer as the most significant disease we encounter and are involved with. Advances in patient care, particularly in relation to minimum intervention, are underpinned by high calibre cutting edge translational research. It is this research that allows us to positively transform our patients' lives.