A Focus Group on Dental Pain Complaints with General Medical Practitioners: Developing a Treatment Algorithm

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Author(s)
Carter, Ava
Carter, Geoffrey
Abbey, Robyn
Year published
2016
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Objective. The differential diagnosis of pain in the mouth can be challenging for general medical practitioners (GMPs) as many
different dental problems can present with similar signs and symptoms. This study aimed to create a treatment algorithm for GMPs
to effectively and appropriately refer the patients and prescribe antibiotics. Design. The study design is comprised of qualitative
focus group discussions. Setting and Subjects. Groups of GMPs within the Gold Coast and Brisbane urban and city regions.
Outcome Measures. Content thematically analysed and treatment algorithm developed. Results. There were 5 focus groups ...
View more >Objective. The differential diagnosis of pain in the mouth can be challenging for general medical practitioners (GMPs) as many different dental problems can present with similar signs and symptoms. This study aimed to create a treatment algorithm for GMPs to effectively and appropriately refer the patients and prescribe antibiotics. Design. The study design is comprised of qualitative focus group discussions. Setting and Subjects. Groups of GMPs within the Gold Coast and Brisbane urban and city regions. Outcome Measures. Content thematically analysed and treatment algorithm developed. Results. There were 5 focus groups with 8-9 participants per group. Addressing whether antibiotics should be given to patients with dental pain was considered very important toGMPs to prevent overtreatment and creating antibiotic resistance.Many practitionerswere unsure ofwhat the different forms of dental pains represent. 90% of the practitioners involved agreed that the treatment algorithm was useful to daily practice. Conclusion. Common dental complaints and infections are seldom surgical emergencies but can result in prolonged appointments for those GMPs who do not regularly deal with these issues.The treatment algorithm for referral processes and prescriptions was deemed easily downloadable and simple to interpret and detailed but succinct enough for clinical use by GMPs.
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View more >Objective. The differential diagnosis of pain in the mouth can be challenging for general medical practitioners (GMPs) as many different dental problems can present with similar signs and symptoms. This study aimed to create a treatment algorithm for GMPs to effectively and appropriately refer the patients and prescribe antibiotics. Design. The study design is comprised of qualitative focus group discussions. Setting and Subjects. Groups of GMPs within the Gold Coast and Brisbane urban and city regions. Outcome Measures. Content thematically analysed and treatment algorithm developed. Results. There were 5 focus groups with 8-9 participants per group. Addressing whether antibiotics should be given to patients with dental pain was considered very important toGMPs to prevent overtreatment and creating antibiotic resistance.Many practitionerswere unsure ofwhat the different forms of dental pains represent. 90% of the practitioners involved agreed that the treatment algorithm was useful to daily practice. Conclusion. Common dental complaints and infections are seldom surgical emergencies but can result in prolonged appointments for those GMPs who do not regularly deal with these issues.The treatment algorithm for referral processes and prescriptions was deemed easily downloadable and simple to interpret and detailed but succinct enough for clinical use by GMPs.
View less >
Journal Title
International Journal of Family Medicine
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Ava Elizabeth Carter et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Note
This publication has been entered into Griffith Research Online as an Advanced Online Version.
Subject
Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified