Since patient care is influenced by systemic and other medical conditions, obtaining an accurate health history prior to treatment is vital. A study of 100 patients being treated for orofacial pain compared the accuracy of information obtained by a self-administered medical health history and that taken verbally by orofacial dentists trained in the same manner. All 100 patients completed a questionnaire, which indicated 92 possible conditions. Following that, the dentists questioned the participants verbally. The 2 medical histories were then compared. Sixty percent of the histories were correlated as a “perfect” match. However, patients reported more medical conditions when self-reporting than when verbally questioned. Women reported more medical conditions in both situations than did the male participants. It is possible that the longer amount of time allowed for completion of the written form as compared with the interview produced the substantial difference. It also indicates that a combination of the 2 inquiries may produce the most thorough results.
(Source: Dental Abstracts, Volume 51, Issue 3, 2006)
