A contrast of dental consultation utilization between two different hospitals

This study shows that the distinct difference in patient types that a dentist may see depends on the focus of the hospital involved. The dentists in the general hospital will commonly see periodontal problems, tooth pain, trauma, and prosthetic problems. This contrasts with Lockhart and Sonis, who commonly found oral infection. However, they were seeing a large number of oncology patients, whose immunosuppression increased the problem of oral infection. The dentist in the psychiatric hospital will more frequently see problems of tooth pain, and periodontal problems and trauma will be seen less frequently than in the general hospital. Prosthodontic problems will occur with equal frequencies in both hospitals. Finally, the dental patient population will tend to be older in the general hospital.