Dr. Jeffcoat’s August editorial, "If We Don’t Do It, Who Will? Dentistry Can’t Shirk Medical Complexities," speaks to the growing population of elderly, physically disabled, mentally retarded, medically compromised and just plain scared individuals requiring dental care.
We humans like to do things that are comfortable and shy away from those that are uncomfortable or for which the outcome is unsure. Is it a lack of voluntary spirit, or a lack of knowledge, as Dr. Jeffcoat implies? I think the latter.
I am board-certified in intravenous sedation and anesthesia and have employed analgesics and tranquilizers in my general dental practice safely for 28 years. Knowledge of physical diagnosis, internal medicine, psychology and pharmacology are requisite to successfully treating these subpopulations.
The four-year dental education provides a foundation. State and federal public health officials, hospitals and universities should be enlightened about meeting these needs, and initiate or expand hospital-based general practice dental residency postgraduate programs.
With the added knowledge and training, our voluntary spirit and a predictably successful outcome will better serve our community’s dental health.
