Evaluation of medical consultations in a predoctoral dental clinic

• 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
• ISSN: 1079-2104; 1528-395X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1079-2104(05)80333-6

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.