Recommendations for examination of the oral cavity in general practice medicine – when to send your patient to the dentist
Recommendations for examination of the oral cavity in general practice medicine – when to send your patient to the dentist. The number of patients looking for assistance from their family general practitioner (GP), instead of their dentist, is rising annually. There are two obvious reasons for that: first, general practice is still free for most patients in Croatia; and second, examination and therapy at the family doctor are painless so there is less fear. Patients often wrongly believe that it is necessary to solve the acute inflammation with antibiotics before they can start treating the tooth. The important role GPs play in this is explaining their condition to the patient, encourage and demonstrate the necessity of dental treatment. As the general population still visits their GP more often than their dentist for any number of reasons, it is easy to note some of the symptoms during examinations. This should significantly improve quality of oral, and thus general health. Efficient interdisciplinary cooperation between the general and the dental practice would facilitate health care for both patients and the medical practitioners, with the ultimate aim of reaching and maintaining good general state of health of our patients.
Key words:
general practitioner; family doctor; dentist; interdisciplinary patient aproach
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