Oral medicine is the discipline in dentistry which deals with diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of lesions and diseases of the oral tissues, particularly those of a systemic, multiorgan or drug-induced nature. In the Netherlands, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is usually the one who takes care of oral medicine. In the dental curriculum in the Netherlands oral medicine is not taught as a separate discipline, but is included in the courses of oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology, periodontology and also, amongst others, in the course of biochemistry. In the Netherlands it is not a recognised speciality and it is questionable whether there really is a need for it. In the medical curriculum and in the training program for family doctors only a very few hours on oral diseases is included. Since many patients with oral diseases see their family doctor first, an extension of the numbers of hours on oral diseases in general and, more specific, in oral medicine, in the medical curriculum is recommended.