Parent-reported health history in a dental settings unreliable therefore medical evaluation is beneficial before dental treatment and
for the integration of dental and electronic health records suggests a recent
study published in The Journal of the American Dental Association
Obtaining thorough documentation of a patient’s medical
history is important for dental care professionals, as oral health is connected
intricately to systemic health. The purpose of this study was to assess the
accuracy of parent-reported health history for pediatric patients in a dental
setting.
A retrospective chart review was conducted on 863 patients
17 years and younger. Parent-reported health history was compared with
subsequent physician-to-dentist consultations. The most common diagnoses were
grouped on the basis of International Statistical Classification of Diseases
and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, categories.
Results
- The sensitivity of parent report of health
conditions was highest for reporting mental and behavioral disorders followed
by nervous system diseases, respiratory conditions congenital conditions and
cardiovascular conditions was lowest for hematologic conditions - Parents of children 6 years and older and those
with private insurance had higher sensitivity for reporting mental and
behavioral conditions than those with children younger than 6 years or having
Medicaid (P < .0001). - The specificity of parent-reported health
conditions ranged from 96.0% for mental and behavioral disorders to 99.8% for
hematologic conditions.
Sensitivity varied widely, showing that parents may be
unreliable in their report of children’s health histories and that dentists
cannot rely solely on parents when obtaining health history.
Practical Implications
In advocating for patient safety, especially for those with
special needs and complex medical conditions, this study supports the use of
medical evaluation before dental treatment and for the integration of dental
and electronic health records.
Reference:
Christine Chiao, Abidin H. Tuncer, Mike Jin, Jayapriyaa R.
Shanmugham, Keri E. Discepolo. Accuracy of parent-reported health history in a
dental setting. The Journal of the American Dental Association Published:
September 01, 2022,DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.07.007