Evaluation of medical consultations in a predoctoral dental clinic

A patient's medical condition can affect the delivery of dental care. Medical consultation is indicated for dental patients whose medical history is uncertain or when physical assessment may indicate an untreated medical problem. The aims of this study were to evaluate the use of medical consul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics, 1995-10, Vol.80 (4), p.409-413
Main Authors: AREE JAINKITTIVONG, CHIH-KO YEH, GUEST, G. F, COTTONE, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Antibiotic Prophylaxis
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiovascular Diseases
Dental Care for Chronically Ill - methods
Dental Clinics
Dentistry
Diabetes Mellitus
Female
Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics
Medical History Taking
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Patient Care Planning
Referral and Consultation
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
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Summary:A patient's medical condition can affect the delivery of dental care. Medical consultation is indicated for dental patients whose medical history is uncertain or when physical assessment may indicate an untreated medical problem. The aims of this study were to evaluate the use of medical consultation and determine how it affects dental treatment plans in a predoctoral dental clinic program. Reviews of 147 medical consultation requests were performed. The main reasons for medical consultations were cardiovascular assessment (51.5%) and diabetic status determination (12.6%). In the cardiovascular assessment category, hypertension (48.1%) and heart murmur (17.9%) were primary concerns. Main dental concerns were the need for preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis (33.3%) and the use of vasoconstrictors (20.4%). Overall, 32.1% of medical consultations resulted in an alteration in dental treatment plans. As a result of medical consultations, 8% commenced their medical management. These results indicated that medical consultations could reduce the medical risk associated with dental procedures and unnecessary antibiotic prophylaxis. Therefore for many dental patients, good communication between dentists and physicians is essential for adequate care.
ISSN:1079-2104
1528-395X
DOI:10.1016/S1079-2104(05)80333-6