Speaking volumes

If interdisciplinary healthcare is the key to successful outcomes, then preventive dental care and oral health education making natural bedfellows for nutritional advice, smoking cessation guidance and health promotion. Besides having an overarching responsibility for oral health care, there is also a legal and regulatory expectation for dental professionals to meet the overall health needs of patients, with the profession's regulatory body, the General Dental Council, maintaining that all aspects of patients’ health and wellbeing should be considered.¹

Regular dental examinations give you both the time and opportunity to detect early predictors of systemic disease as well as dental disease. Patients usually present at the dental practice when seemingly healthy, so you are on the frontline to find any ‘hidden’ problems – an examination reveals a lot more than just the health of the oral cavity. Additionally, recording a patient's medical history at every visit can highlight any risks and we can review habits jointly.