文档介绍：Dermatol Clin 21 (2003) xi–xii
Preface
Oral medicine/Oral dermatology
Roy S. Rogers III, MD Alison J. Bruce, MD
Guest Editors
The past decade has heralded an improved under- on oral medicine and oral dermatology topics have
standing of the pathogenesis of many diseases, par- proliferated to meet the educational needs of those
ticularly those with an immunological basis. The attending the Annual Meeting of the American Acad-
development of immunofluorescence testing as a emy of Dermatology.
commonplace tool in the evaluation of dermatologic, The 20th World Congress of Dermatology, held in
mucous membrane, and other autoimmune disorders Paris in the summer of 2002, continued this theme.
has significantly enhanced our understanding of The Symposium on Diseases of the Oral Mucosa was
immunologic disease processes and, in turn, allowed filled, with overflowing lines of registrants outside
us to develop more targeted and scientific approaches the hall waiting for an empty seat. The European
to therapy. Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has insti-
Diseases of the mouth and oral cavity are enor- tuted a Symposium on Diseases of the Oral Mucosa
mously troublesome to patients, impacting their ability in its popular annual meeting. The desire of clinicians
municate and to interact socially and in the to understand and treat patients with distressing oral
workplace, thus diminishing their quality of life. Many diseases has fostered this interest, and the depth of
clinicians have shared their patients’ distress because understanding of disease pathogenesis and treatment
oral diseases can be difficult to differentiate and, more has allowed medical science to meet this interest.
specifically, to effectively manage. However, the Previous issues of the Dermatologic Clinics have
enhancement of our understanding of oral disease been devoted to discussion of oral disorders to
and the strides made in more effective diagnosis and enhance education of the