Oral Pathology

Introduction
Diagnostic Service
Teaching
Research


Introduction

Oral pathology is that part of pathology concerned with the scientific study of the causes and effects of oral disease. Oral Pathology is a unit within the Centre of Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences and has responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and provision of a specialist, diagnostic head and neck reporting service. Two consultant pathologists provide a specialist diagnostic head and neck surgical pathology service to clinicians and oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Barts and The London Trust as well as local and regional hospitals.

Diagnostic Service

Oral Pathology reporting is currently embedded within the CPA accredited Department of Pathology. The department has several specialised groups of which one is head and neck incorporating both Oral Pathology and ENT. This group undertakes more than 2000 oral histopathology specimens per year, the ENT workload is approximately 1000 cases per year with 500 head and neck cytology specimens. There are in excess of 30 frozen sections per year.

Teaching

The unit is responsible for the oral pathology component of the Oral Cavity module which takes place in the 4th year of the BDS Curriculum. This is organised by Dr Alan Cruchley and Dr Kim Piper

We organise an intercalated BSc degree in Oral Biology which is open to 4 th year medical and dental students. The course provides an in-depth approach for exploring current concepts in human and mammalian oral biology and will develop the students interest in, and critical appraisal of, current research practices.

We have Masters students ( MSc of Experimental Oral Pathology) who follow a full time one-year research-based course of study. As part of Centre of Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences we currently have 10 full-time and 2 part-time PhD students co-supervised with other staff in the dental and medical school. Members of staff contribute to a number of internal and external postgraduate courses.

Research

The primary objective of this unit is the education and training of dental students at all stages, from undergraduate to postgraduate levels and including the professionals complementary to dentistry (PCDs). This primary function cannot be achieved without the execution of basic and clinical research of the highest standard. We have a thriving research environment which attracts an international reputation for its high quality.

Oral Pathology contributes to a number of research programmes which form the principal focus of Centre of Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences research activity. There are three main research programmes:

  1. Programme in Head and Neck Cancer
    We aim to develop an integrated approach to understanding the mechanisms which govern transformation and disease progression in head and neck cancer.
    Current projects include:
    • Keratinocyte biology: markers of epithelial differentiation, gene regulation in squamous cell cancer
    • Stem cell initiative in oral epithelia
    • Lymphocyte immunology in specific areas such as early mucosal changes in dysplasia and submucous fibrosis
  2. Programme in mucosal immunology
    • Immunoregulation in the mucosal barrier
    • Microbial/mucosal interaction
    • Antimicrobial peptides
    • Markers of inflammation and healing
  3. Programme in basic biology in clinical oral research
    • Oral mucosal diseases
    • Pain
    • Mucositis

For further details please contact:

Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences
Barts and The London
Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry
Queen Mary University of London
2 Newark Street
London E1 2AD
Tel: 020 7882 8483
Fax: 020 7882 7153