Palliative care dentistry.
The importance of dental care is often overlooked due to the omission of the dentist as a member of the palliative care team. However, many terminal patients exhibit oral difficulties that affect their quality of life. Palliative care dentists must exhibit empathy and compassion, and must be excellent communicators Dentists can play an important role in alleviating both the physical and psychological pain of dying. This paper describes the role of dentistry in palliative care.
Wiseman
M A
MA
Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, 740 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1A4, Canada. mwiseman@med.mcgill.ca
D003142:Communication; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010166:Palliative Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D013727:Terminal Care