Dental practice: the process of rational treatment

After taking a patient history and establishing a diagnosis, determine the therapeutic objective (eg pain relief, treating infection) and choose an appropriate treatment; involve the patient in this decision. In dentistry, drugs are usually an adjunct to dental treatment (see Dental practice: the role of drugs).

Starting treatment involves:

• providing the patient with information about the condition and the reasons for treatment
• performing appropriate oral or dental treatment
• if required, recommending appropriate drug therapy, writing an accurate prescription (see Dental practice: the prescription) and providing the patient with the required information (see Dental practice: the prescription and the patient).

Monitoring progress involves:

• reviewing the patient
• deciding whether to stop, continue or change the treatment.

The above process is in line with Australia’s National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines.