“Orocrinology”: Seven Easy Steps!

A complete examination of the oral cavity is a neglected part of physical examination and is not taught in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. We believe that a thorough oral examination helps in the identification of a variety of endocrine disorders and so to emphasize this, we have proposed the term “orocrinolgy.” Orocrinology is the art of using a Thorough oral cavity examination to diagnose a variety of adult and pediatric endocrine disorders. Under “orocrinology,” we have highlighted an easy to perform a seven-step technique to perform a complete examination of the oral cavity. The common endocrine-related abnormalities that you might encounter during each of these seven steps is summarized along with the steps. The seven steps start with the examination of the salivary glands, followed by the lips. This is followed by the examination of labial, buccal, alveolar, and gingival mucosa in two steps. The fifth step is the Inspection of the tongue and the base of the mouth followed by the sixth step, which is the evaluation of the palate, uvula, and tonsils. The final seventh step is the examination of the hard structures in the oral cavity, which includes the teeth, mandible, and the maxilla.