A. Jainkittivong et al., EVALUATION OF MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS IN A PREDOCTORAL DENTAL CLINIC, Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics, 80(4), 1995, pp. 409-413
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Pathology,Surgery,"Dentistry,Oral Surgery & Medicine
Objective. A patient's medical condition can affect the delivery of de
ntal 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 t
reatment plans in a predoctoral dental clinic program. Study design. R
eviews of 147 medical consultation requests were performed. Results. T
he main reasons for medical consultations were cardiovascular assessme
nt (51.5%) and diabetic status determination (12.6%). In the cardiovas
cular assessment category, hypertension (48.1%) and heart murmur (17.9
%) were primary concerns. Main dental concerns were the need for preop
erative antibiotic prophylaxis (33.3%) and the use of vasoconstrictors
(20.4%). Overall, 32.1% of medical consultations resulted in an alter
ation in dental treatment plans. As a result of medical consultations,
8% commenced their medical management. Conclusions. These results ind
icated that medical consultations could reduce the medical risk associ
ated with dental procedures and unnecessary antibiotic prophylaxis. Th
erefore for many dental patients, good communication between dentists
and physicians is essential for adequate care.