Awareness, Clinical Exposure, and Referral Patterns Regarding Oral Medicine and Radiology Among Medical Practitioners in Nashik District, India: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Oral Medicine and Radiology (OMR) occupies a diagnostic interface between medicine and dentistry, yet awareness and utilisation of the specialty among medical practitioners in India remain poorly characterised, particularly outside major metropolitan centres.
Aim: To assess awareness, clinical exposure, and referral patterns related to Oral Medicine and Radiology among medical practitioners in Nashik district.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 255 registered medical practitioners (MBBS or higher, BAMS, and BHMS) practising in urban and semi-urban Nashik district, using a structured, pre-validated, self-administered questionnaire adapted from a previously published instrument 1. The questionnaire captured demographic data, frequency of oral conditions encountered, referral practices, and awareness of OMR as a specialty. Ethical clearance was obtained (reference 544/SMBT/04/SS/UG/IEC/22/69), and data were collected via Google Forms over six months and analysed using frequency distributions.
Results: Modern-medicine practitioners (MBBS or higher) comprised 62.3% of respondents, followed by BAMS (34.1%) and BHMS (3.5%) practitioners; 84.3% were private practitioners. Clinical exposure to oral-systemic manifestations, temporomandibular joint (TMJ)/facial pain, oral mucosal lesions, and salivary gland disorders was reported as occasional or frequent by 73.2%, 75.6%, 73.7%, and 64.7% of respondents, respectively. Despite this exposure, referral to OMR specialists remained low across all four conditions (3.9%, 7.45%, 5.49%, and 5.49%, respectively), with practitioners defaulting predominantly to general dentists or general physicians. Although 76.86% of respondents reported awareness of Oral Medicine as a distinct specialty, this did not translate into proportionate referral behaviour. A high proportion of responses recorded as referrals to “oncologist” for benign TMJ and salivary conditions (28.6–33.3%) is most likely attributable to questionnaire layout or response-option ambiguity rather than true clinical practice, and should be interpreted with caution.
Conclusion: A substantial knowledge–practice gap exists between stated awareness of Oral Medicine and Radiology and its actual utilisation in referral pathways among medical practitioners in Nashik district. Structured interprofessional education and curricular integration are needed to translate awareness into appropriate specialist referral.