Periodontics and Oral Medicine

Welcome to the University of Pretoria's Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine

South Africa is one of the countries in which two, traditionally independent specialities have been combined as a single speciality. While Periodontics is that field of dentistry which deals with conditions that affect the supporting structures of the teeth (soft tissue and bone), Oral Medicine focuses on the diagnosis and management of conditions which affect all of the soft tissues of the oral cavity. As modern implant dentistry has evolved, it found a comfortable fit within Periodontics as the implant is placed in previously tooth supporting structures and is susceptible to the same disease processes as the original tooth.