The General Dental Council requires dentists to check a patient’s health condition regularly, and especially before any treatment is carried out.

Why do I have to fill it in EVERY time?

Dentists are not only required to check a patient’s medical condition, they must be able to prove we have kept this information up to date and that the information is completed by the patient themselves, this is why a new form and signature is required.

Why can’t I just write “No Change”?

A lot of patient’s are only visiting the practice every 6 months no for routine examinations, some are on yearly recalls, and in between exam appointments things can change. A patient may think they let us know about the changes last visit, when actually there is nothing recorded on your medical form. It would be irresponsible and un-professional for your dentist to accept “No change “as a satisfactory updates medical status. Our clinicians have an up to date medical form for each patient to allow us to make an informed decision should any treatment be needed.

Why do half of the questions even matter to my dentist?

Although some of the questions may seem strange for your dentist to ask, all the questions on our medical form are relevant. Providing a current list of medications is paramount and extremely important to us as this could affect treatment options available to you. Medications have lots of side effects, because we use anaesthetics and write prescriptions, keeping detailed lists of your medications is so important to avoid any complications during routine dental appointments.

As a practice we are guided by the information we collect, we are audited on any paperwork required by our governing bodies. This is across the board in any dental practice. Please remember when you are updating your medical form, we care about your health and want to give you a positive dental experience based on 100% patient care and informed decisions bespoke to your dental needs.