Resumo

ROCHA, Amanda Leal  e  FERREIRA, Efigênia Ferreira e. Hospital dentistry: the role of the dentist in multidisciplinary teams in tertiary care. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2014, vol.50, n.4, pp. 154-160. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: This work aimed to survey the role of dentistry within multidisciplinary teams in hospital environments, through the analysis of requests for dental care evaluations in a hospital in Belo Horizonte. Methods: This study analyzed 137 requests for dental care evaluations, sent between February 2010 and February 2012. All requests described in dental care referrals were evaluated and grouped in: pathological conditions, request for review, symptoms, oral hygiene and other observations. The data were recorded in an Excel for Windows program and presented as absolute and percent values. Results: Most patients were male (70%), with an average of 54 years (±19.88). The descriptions requesting dental care referrals amounted to: pathological conditions (n=98), request for review (n=19), symptoms (n=20), oral hygiene (n=10), and other observations (n=21). The five most common expressions in the requests were "poor dental condition", followed by "dental care evaluation", "toothache", "mucosal lesions", and "tooth mobility". Conclusion: It could be concluded that, over a two-year period, an increase in requests for dental care evaluations, though few, could be observed, as compared to the total admissions in the same period. The growth in demand for dentists may represent the recognition of the need for their integration within the hospital staff, even if the concept of a multidisciplinary team remains unclear.

Palavras-chave : Oral health.; Dental service; hospital.; Dental care..