Dental practice: referral

When referring a patient to another practitioner (eg specialist, medical practitioner), a written referral should be provided. The referral should outline the presenting oral or dental complaint, suspected diagnosis (if known) and relevant patient details. The referral should be recorded in the patient’s history. The referring clinician should ensure the patient attends the appointment, and communicate with the other clinician about the patient’s condition.

Likewise, if a medical practitioner has referred a patient to a dentist, the dentist should communicate with the medical practitioner (eg provide feedback to the medical practitioner in writing).