Oral Medicine, Dermatology Collaboration Highlighted in Dermatologic Clinics Issue

Philadelphia – Highlighting the collaborative care between the specialties of oral medicine and dermatology, Drs. Eric Stoopler and Thomas Sollecito of Penn Dental Medicine’s Department of Oral Medicine served as editors of the October 2020 issue of Dermatologic Clinics. According to the publisher, Elsevier, they were the first dentists invited to serve as editors of this prestigious medical journal published quarterly for the Dermatologic Clinics of North America.

“Oral Medicine specialists evaluate, diagnose, and manage patients with acute and chronic oral mucosal diseases,” notes Dr. Stoopler, Professor of Oral Medicine. “It is common for patients to experience cutaneous manifestations of these conditions, which necessitates close collaboration between oral medicine and dermatology to effectively manage patients with these disorders.”

This issue of Dermatologic Clinics was designed to provide clinical information regarding health and disease of the oral cavity and perioral structures, with an emphasis on relevance to practicing dermatologists. Along with Drs. Stoopler and Sollecito, ten other faculty from within the departments of Oral Medicine, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, and Basic and Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine contributed to this issue on topics that included clinical evaluation and anatomic variation of the oral cavity, oral biopsy techniques, oral granulomatous disease, acute oral lesions, oral hypersensitivity reactions, pigmented lesions, and dental considerations in patients with oral mucosal diseases. In addition, faculty from the Department of Dermatology at Penn Medicine co-authored articles with Penn Dental Medicine faculty in this issue.

Within Penn, Drs. Stoopler and Sollecito note close collaborations across disciplines. “The interprofessional relationship between oral medicine and dermatology at Penn Medicine is unique,” says Dr. Sollecito, Professor and Chair of Oral Medicine. “Both departments boast world-renowned faculty with specific expertise that affords the highest level of patient-centered care and optimizes clinical outcomes.”