Frequency of Oral and Dental Diseases Presenting to Medical Professionals in Bayda City-Libya. Across-sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To find out the frequency of patients with oral diseases presented to medical professionals, type of oral symptoms/conditions and where were these patients referred? Materials and Methods: A convenient sample size of 100 participants was decided. The questionnaire of the study was developed based on a previously validated survey with minor modifications. In particular, questions were raised regarding benign and malignant diseases and dental or denture-related problems. Also, medical practitioners were requested to identify the specialist to which the patient would be referred if a second opinion was required. Results: The majority of the study participants were female (65%) and their ages ranged from 27 to 67 years with a mean of 38.38 years. Eighty- nine (89%) participants had seen patients with dental and or oral diseases. Majority of medical professionals (MPs) would refer patients to general dental practitioners (61%), while 10% would refer to oral surgeons, only 5% to oral medicine specialists, 6% to Ear, nose and throat surgeon(ENT) and 2% of MPs refer patients with oral soft tissue lesions to dermatologists. Conclusion: The present study has shown that medical professionals commonly see patients presenting with oral diseases especially oral mucosal lesions and commonly refer patient to general dental practitioners rather than another dental specialty.