During my residency training, I learned about a new aspect of dentistry that was completely foreign to me: Hospital Dentistry.
With our societal separation of dentistry and medicine from each other, we have also removed the idea of oral care in conjunction with the care of the rest of the body in most of our minds.
Although the majority of people will not encounter a dentist outside of a traditional dental office or clinic, there are many patients who require dental care in a hospital setting for a variety of reasons.
Most Common Dental Specialists to Encounter Hospital Dentistry
Oral surgeons are the most common dental specialists to encounter hospital dentistry. During their residency training, they participate in a variety of surgical procedures and are comfortable in the operating room.
Large surgeries like cancer resections, reconstructions, and joint replacements require treatment in operating room settings and can be performed by oral surgeons.
Many hospitals also have oral surgeons on call for facial and dental traumas or infections related to teeth.
My Personal Experience
In my residency program, however, the general dentistry residents were the first point of contact for facial/dental traumas that presented to the hospital and we cared for minor dentoalveolar fractures and replacing avulsed teeth in the operating room.
Many patients who do not have access to regular dental care, unfortunately, end up in the operating room when long-term dental infections cause face, neck, and eye swelling and we were called into manage these infections and extract teeth in the Emergency Department or Operating Room when necessary.
Why Patients May Need Hospital Dentistry
Aside from these emergent dental concerns, dentists may also treat patients who are undergoing cardiac procedures, and require dental extractions before they can be cleared for surgery.
Additionally, patients who have intellectual and developmental disabilities or complex medical histories may only be able to be treated safely in the operating room under general anesthesia.
There are many reasons for dentists to work with our medical counterparts to provide comprehensive care in hospital settings and it is my hope that with more understanding of the need for dentists to provide this type of care, it will become more common
Dentists must have training working in the hospital through their residency program to be able to get hospital privileges but it is an incredible service to provide for many patients. If you are a doctor, surgeon, nurse, or scrub tech who finds yourself in an operating room beside a dentist, do not be surprised.
Understand they are there to use their specialized skills to care for the patient just like you are!
Keep Reading: Challenges & Benefits of Working in Healthcare
Photo by Daniel Frank
