Oral Soft Tissue Lesions: Diagnosis and Treatment, 3rd edition

Course overview

This course reviews the soft tissue lesions found in the oral cavity of adults and discusses their diagnosis and treatment. Common problems include inflammatory and infectious processes, degenerative processes, and abnormal growths. The oral cavity is an ideal place for microorganisms to grow. Many distinct bacterial groups live in the oral cavity, and some of these bacteria are considered to be part of the normal oral flora. Unfortunately, some of these common bacterial species can also be the cause of opportunistic infections (infections by species that are avirulent in healthy individuals but that can be fatal in patients with compromised immunity (Deepa, Nair, Sivakumar, & Joseph, 2014). It is important to be aware of the causes of common lesions found in the oral cavity so they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Although this basic-level course does not include photographs of the various oral soft and hard tissue lesions, numerous websites offer excellent color photographs of the oral soft and hard tissue lesions discussed in this course. Additional resources can be identified by contacting the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (http://www.aaomp.org).