OMA Pre-Dental Request Response
Template letters for responding to requests from dentists
Members from the OMA’s Section of General and Family Practice (SGFP) told us that they often receive requests from dentists regarding shared patients. Common requests from dentists include asking the physician to:
- assess the patient to clear them for a dental procedure
- answer medication questions
- complete forms
- order tests, such as MRIs
- provide the patient’s medical history
The OMA worked collaboratively with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and the Royal College of Dentists and Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) to identify the expectations for both physicians and dentists related to these requests. To learn more, visit the OMA page on requests from dentists.
The following templates are intended to support physicians with their responses to dentists. They include information about the scope of what a physician may offer and response options for the following three categories:
- Medical clearance for a dental procedure
- Medication questions
- Ordering tests
OntarioMD and the OMA have developed a template for Accuro® and stamps for TELUS PSS to simplify the response process.
Sample Letter with Completion Notes
|
SUBJECT: Pre-dental request Date: Patient name: Thank you for your request for |
These opening lines will populate with the creation date and patient name. |
|
Medical clearance for the above-named patient’s contemplated dental procedure: As a physician, determination of medical clearance for dental procedures is not in my scope of practice. However, I can share relevant information about the patient’s health status to assist you with your clinical decision-making related to the provision of dental care. Advice regarding the above-named patient’s medication: I am not able to answer questions about medication used to manage dental issues, such as pre-operative antibiotics, as this is not in my scope of practice. Please refer to high-quality clinical guidance, where available and appropriate. If you are not aware of existing guidance, reach out to a Practice advisor at the Royal College of Dentists and Surgeons of Ontario at practiceadvisory@rcdso.org. Where there is no guidance, and when appropriate, I can provide information about medication being used to manage medical conditions that are not in your scope of practice. This may require the patient to book an appointment with me for an assessment. Arranging testing for the above-named patient, related to their dental care: I may be able to order tests to inform dental care; however, this will generally require me to book an appointment with the patient to assess the patient and determine whether ordering the test is appropriate. As a next step: Re: clearance for dental procedures: I can supply a written summary of the patient’s relevant health information. Please allow up to 30 days for a response. If the response is time-sensitive, please outline the urgency, and I will assess what can be arranged. Re: medication questions: For your convenience, I have attached the relevant parts of patient’s medical profile and medication list. Note however, the patient often has the most up to date medication list. The patient can book an appointment with me. Please let me know how you would like to proceed. If you still have a concern, please contact my office. |
For the body of the letter, use your EMR’s native functionality to select individual paragraphs or include all content as needed. |
|
Sincerely, |
Signatures are applied automatically as you complete the steps to generate and fax or print the letter. |
Accuro ® Template
Accuro® users should follow the instructions in this document to copy the template into their ‘Template Wizard’.
OMA Pre-Dental Request Response for Accuro®
TELUS PSS
PSS users can import the pre-built stamp OMA Pre-Dental Request Response and insert into the patient chart.
OMA Pre-Dental Request Response for PSS