Dental Examination Flashcards
What are the essential pieces of information that are needed to be known at the start of a clinical examination?
Name
DOB
Sex
Marital status
Next of kin
Address
Contact details
Name of doctor
Third party insurers
Referral
What environmental factors must be controlled when seeing a patient?
Environmental setting:
General appearance of the room
Presentation and appearance of clinician
Body language
Style of communication
Discussion with the patient upright
Eye to eye contact
What kind of questions should be asked for dental history?
Dental history:
Ask questions specifically related to the patient’s problems.
Expression of interest in the patient’s problems
Facilitates communication between operator and the patient
Established the dentist-patient relationship.
What are the ways that patients can characterise the doctor?
Positive:
Communication and counselling regarding the situation
Conditioning the patient to accept information and advice
Negative:
Usually based on past unfavourable experiences
Greater communication difficulties
Problems with acceptance of information or advice
Understanding:
Patients problems and issues
patient needs to understand nature of problems and treatment possibilities
Where is the patient regarding knowledge attitiude and perception of needs
How should patients be approached?
Empathy and respect
Avoid arguments and conflicts
Agreeable presentation
Sometimes firm but gentle guidance may be needed
Anger is a negative emotional response which needs to be absorbed
Anxiety is often base in apprehension, fear, and uncertainty
What does dental history consist of?
Any report of significant disease during the history/examination needs to be acted on requiring interim or palliative treatment
Why is medical history important to know of?
Systemic conditions can significantly influence oral status/management
Intersection of systemic diseases and the affect on various parts of the body is a continuously evolving body of knowledge
What comorbidities can have oral implications?
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes type 1 and 2
Renal disease
Liver disease
Cancer
COPD
Cerebrovascular issues
Dementia
Polypharmacy
What are the steps of the extraoral examination?
Extra oral assessment:
General appearance and demeanor
Overall facial profile, asymmetries, imbalances of appearance
Palpation of the TMJ, facial muscle of mastication, and signs of lymphadenopathy.
Smile assessment (look at dental smile line and see if it follows the lower lip, symmetry, balance, and variations)
Intraoral assessment: Lips, mucosa, and fauces. Lift the tongue up look at the floor of the mouth.
Occlusal appearance, general alignemnts and occlusal plane, the way the teeth meet “static relationship”, the way the teeth move “dynamic relationship”
Look at gums (pink or red?)
Presence of plaque
How are the teeth assessed?
Assessment of the teeth themselves:
Number and distribution
Missing teeth
Morphology
Wear
Presence of restorations (type and character)
Presence of prosthesis (fixed or removable)
