Why does a dental practice need a patients person details?

Question

And why do they need treatment history?
And medical history?
And charting?
And study models?
And x-rays/photos?
And consent forms?
Thanks :)

Answer 1

Okay, lol. They need your information because it could be crucial to changing something they use (like medication). Something simple as a heart condition changes the type of numbing medicine used if you are getting numbed (at some point you will probably need it for something, even if it's not THIS time). Usually they use Lidocaine with Epinephrine in it. BUT if you have a heart condition you can NOT have the Epi. They need treatment history to know what's already been done so they know if you've had any issues, to watch for any problems with any dental work that was done, etc. Medical history - I explained such as the heart condition. that's just one of the things that can change what they can/can't use, not to mention an allergy. If you've had an allergic reaction to something, even rubber...they need to know to not use that medication/rubber gloves, you see. With charting, the write in blue and red. It's what needs to be done (such as a filling) and what's already been done, again it's just good to know what all you've had. Like if you had a root canal on tooth 2 (back right) they will want to watch and make sure it works and your tooth doesn't need further treatment. If there's a tooth that looks like it might need work they will put a "watch" on it, which means they will check it next time and see if it's same, better, worse, etc. Study models - you only need these if you are getting something like braces/retainers or whitening trays. They use them to get a specific model of your teeth so that whatever they are making for you fits just right. They use xrays to look for cavities or decalcification (not enough calcium), etc. And consent forms to do whatever treatment they are doing, saying yes, they can look at my teeth, take care of them and do whatever is necessary so you can't come back for some reason and say, I didn't say they could do that...it's to protect both of you. Hope I was informative :D

Answer 2

One by one, alright.



We need the treatment history because it helps in planning a treatment for you. Let's say you've had all your wisdom teeth removed, then we're sure that you don't have unerupted wisdom teeth (unless for special cases), hence reducing the need to have an OPG (orthopantomogram radiograph, for an overall view of your teeth). And let's say you've had multiple extraction and fillings, then we know you're probably not the type that gets excessively anxious during dental procedures. Etc., etc.



For medical history, there are a lot of explanations on this. Let's say a patient has any infectious disease, then, the way we disinfect all equipments are different. Even the type of equipments used differs slightly. And for some diseases, they affect wound healing, blood clot formation, and etc. i.e; a patient with liver cirrhosis (liver badly damaged, its function is badly affected) will most probably have reduced proteins needed for a bleeding to stop, so we have to consult a medical physician to continue the treatment. For those with heart disease, we'll need to becareful because the bacteria released into blood during a dental procedure may cause infective endocarditis (infection of the heart), and we'd want to avoid those complications (this is only for a person who has heart disease okay) by giving antibiotics before starting the procedure. Allergy history is because some of the materials used in dental procedures may cause allergy reaction to certain patient, but this is quite rare, but is valuable.



Previous charting is to observe your progress and to look for which dental procedure should be prioritised.



There are many types of x-rays. OPG in an instance gives a rough overview of your teeth and is useful in knowing the eruption status of a patient. You get to see a part of your maxillary sinus (hollow cavities in everyone's skull) using this. Let's say you're getting your tooth extracted, then some tooth is closely associated with a few nerve. A dentist should foresee this in planning an extraction. For caries developing where two teeth meet each other, we'd just like to confirm whether there really is a caries or is it just an initial caries which does not require fillings to be done. Let's say a patient complains of severe toothache which doesn't stop for a long time, then we'd like to see the extent of the caries. For untreated dental caries, it may spread to tissue surrounding the tooth, but how are we going to see this without actually pulling the tooth out to see the structures underneath it? The answer is x-ray! A dentist has so many patients to treat daily, so you can't expect that dentist to have photographic memory of each and every patient he treats. So sometimes he needs photos. Sometimes, he may use it for research and etc. But he'll ask your permission first.



Consent forms are needed for legal purposes. A patient (or even a medical doctor and so many more services) must give consent to a treatment in order for a dentist to start his treatment. Let's say the patient is not happy with the treatment or its aftermath, then he may sue the dentist. And you'd want to avoid unnecessary legal issues as well as protect both patient and dentist's rights.

Answer 3

To a certain extent they provide information needed in providing a quality care, but they also protect us from foolish lawsuits that takes place all too frequently in America. As long as there is no TORT reform in the health care law and doctors are getting sued for the most ridiculous reasons they have the right to protect themselves. This is one of the major reasons why the cost of health care is extremely high in this country.

Answer 4

I wont waste time on this answer as mostly everything has been covered. Perhaps something could happen to you during treatment and therefore they have to contact your family. I have passed out at the Dentist before and apparantly they couldnt wake me, they had to contact my GP, as they had my details they were able to do this.

Answer 5

Dr Jay is right on the nose. That's the reason.