Sana Sadiq is a BDS3 student at King's College London, with a previous Masters in Chemistry, from Queen Mary University of London.
How well does your GP know you? It seems that most people don't have their own GP anymore and only attend in times of desperation. It is thus apparent to me that as a health professional that sees their patients regularly, dentists are increasingly instrumental in monitoring general health and facilitating early diagnosis of medical conditions.
The Problem
How many times in the past five years have you seen the same GP at your local medical practice? Do you check in with your GP at six-monthly intervals just to tell them you're doing great, but you thought you'd stop by anyway? Does your GP regularly monitor your general health and habits? I suspect not. It seems that over recent years, the GP surgery is becoming an increasingly emergency based service; attending only in your darkest, snot-ridden hours and to be forgotten once you hobble out the door with that sweet, green prescription. "15 MINUTES ONLY" says the gentle reminder in the waiting room... How do I prioritise my list of mildly aggravating ailments and worries to fit into this tiny slot? Maybe I won't bother; the GP is only for important things... These are just some of the thoughts I have when attempting to book an appointment with the doctor.
In steps your dentist. Your dentist probably knows you fairly well. You've probably been attending since you were a teen. They probably fitted you with those train tracks that got you teased at school. They've seen you grow up. They know your occupation. They know your dietary habits and how much you drink every week. They know about your family history of cardiovascular disease. They notice that time you started to feel short of breath when they laid you back in the chair, even if you didn't think much of it.
How the GDP or dental student can make a difference
As a dental student, sometimes learning general medicine seems tangential and irrelevant, however as future GDPs, we are in the unique position to monitor and review all health aspects of our patients. Our knowledge and training in recognising and differentiating between physiological and pathological processes, teamed with the rapport we develop with our patients can create the best environment to identify and address medical conditions early on. Getting to know your patients and seeing them regularly generates an environment in which they may feel comfortable discussing medical, family and social worries which they feel aren't GP material. These chats can be key in identifying issues requiring further medical investigation, facilitating referral to relevant specialists and the consequent early diagnosis of disease.
So your patient's not chatty. You still see them every year or so. How have they changed since you last saw them? Have they gained some abdominal weight? Do they have a new rash they've been itching away at? Are they looking a little paler than you've seen them before? Being able to observe physical change in our patients at regular intervals gives us the power to address features they never considered to be of note, or that they never even noticed. It also gives us an idea of the rate of progression of change. Dentists can then establish a dialogue about these issues and influence positive behavioural change to prevent or reverse developments. If changes appear indicative of conditions requiring medical attention, it is then also possible for dentists to refer patients on to relevant specialists.
So the next time your regular patient attends, try to pay attention to the body attached to the oral cavity that we're so interested in, and the words coming out of it. You may well recognise something that a GP just can't pick up.
Sana Sadiq
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