Charting conditions of the teeth I

Dental Charts ●Each patient has a dental chart ●The information should be updated every visit ●It is important that the information is neat, complete, and correct ●They should be in a locked file cabinet for confidentiality and to prevent it from getting lost

A dental chart may include:

Personal Patient Information ●Personal patient information must include: o Full name of patient o Birth Date or age o Address o Telephone number o Place of employment o Physician’s name and address o Insurance information

Medical History ●Diseases or medical conditions the patient has ●Special medical precautions ●Allergies ●Other pertinent medical information o Ex:  The dental team must evaluate the data and determine if any conditions exist that will affect, alter, or delay any necessary dental treatment for the patient.

A Dental Chart (Some dental charts vary)

Conditions and Symbols ●Impacted tooth: Circle entire diagram of tooth ●Decay: Circle or outline ●Cracked tooth: Saw line (Zig zag line) ●Missing tooth: X ●Tooth to be extracted: One dash ( / ) ●Tooth already extracted: Two dashes ( // ) ●Crown: Circle the crown of the tooth ●Completed root canal treatment: Draw a heavy line in pulp canal ( | ) ●Needs root canal treatment: Write “RCT” or “Endo” under tooth

Another Dental Chart

●All treatments or services rendered to the patient are also recorded on the dental chart In addition to using symbols in anatomic diagram ●Make sure all information is neat and correct ●Information must be written in ink ●Use symbols & abbreviations to denote teeth, surfaces, treatment completed, and base cements