• New York State Department of Health. Prevention of secondary disease: preventive medicine. Oral health care. New York (NY): New York State Department of Health; 2008 Jul. 2 p. [2 references]

This is the current release of the guideline.

Preventive Oral Health Care in the Primary Care Setting

Primary care clinicians should educate patients about the importance of preventive oral health care, including dental visits; brushing, flossing, and rinsing; and the risk of developing oral cancer from use of tobacco and alcohol.

As part of the annual comprehensive physical examination, the clinician should examine the oral cavity visually and palpate the patient's lips, labial and buccal mucosa, all surfaces of the tongue and palate, and the floor of the mouth. The gingiva should be examined for signs of erythema, ulceration, or recession.

When patients present with severe dental decay, clinicians should screen for behaviors and practices that contribute to a higher risk of dental caries, including but not limited to the following:

• Drug use, especially crack cocaine and crystal meth
• Prolonged methadone maintenance
• Xerostomia (decreased salivary flow)
• Untreated dental decay

Referral to Oral Healthcare Providers

Clinicians should ascertain whether their patients have a regular oral health provider and should refer all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients for annual hygiene and intraoral examinations, including dental caries and soft-tissue examinations.

Clinicians should promptly refer patients who present with oral mucosal, gingival, or dental lesions to an oral healthcare provider for appropriate diagnostic evaluation and treatment.

None provided

The type of supporting evidence is not specifically stated for each recommendation.

• New York State Department of Health. Prevention of secondary disease: preventive medicine. Oral health care. New York (NY): New York State Department of Health; 2008 Jul. 2 p. [2 references]

Not applicable: The guideline was not adapted from another source.

2008 Jul

New York State Department of Health - State/Local Government Agency [U.S.]

New York State Department of Health

Physicians' Prevention Committee

Chair: Victoria L Sharp, MD, Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, New York, New York

Committee Members: Bruce D Agins, MD, MPH, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, New York, New York; Oladipo A Alao, MD, MPH, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, New York; Julia H Arnsten, MD, MPH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York; Alvaro F Carrascal, MD, MPH, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, Albany, New York; Kevin Fiscella, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York; Douglas G Fish, MD, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York; Donna C Futterman, MD, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York; Victor K Inada, MD, APICHA Primary Care Clinic Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc, New York, New York; Barbara E Johnston, MD, Saint Vincent's-Manhattan Comprehensive HIV Center, New York, New York; David D Kim, MD, Astor Medical Group, LLP, New York, New York; Joseph R Masci, MD, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Elmhurst, New York; David S Rubin, MD, New York Hospital Queens, Flushing, New York; Sanjiv S Shah, MD, MetroPlus Health Plan, New York, New York; Benjamin W Tsoi, MD, MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York; Rona M Vail, MD, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York, New York; Milton L Wainberg, MD, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York

Clinical Education Representative: Mary Anne Brown, RN, BSN, MA, Upper Hudson Primary Care Consortium, Glens Falls, New York

Liaison: M Monica Sweeney, MD, MPH, Liaison to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, New York, New York

AIDS Institute Staff Liaisons: L Jeannine Bookhardt-Murray, MD, Harlem United Community AIDS Center, New York, NY; Daniel A O'Connell, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, Albany, New York

Principal Contributors: Stuart Fischman, DMD, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo

Not stated

This is the current release of the guideline.

None available

This NGC summary was completed by ECRI Institute on September 2, 2008.