Evaluation of Unnecessary or Inappropriate Treatment of Oral and Maxillofacial Lesions in Patients Referred to the Oral Medicine Department of Mashhad Dental School

Introduction: Dental treatment mistakes include those happen during surgery or other dental procedures, because of delayed treatments despite observing unusual results after paraclinical tests, or negligence during treatment. Delay in treatment and or inappropriate treatment often are due to diagnostic errors. This study evaluates the rate of unnecessary or inappropriate treatment of oral and maxillofacial lesions in patients referred to the Oral Medicine Department. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 372 patients referred to the Oral Medicine Department of Mashhad Dental School in 2010. After recording their demographic characteristics by using a questionnaire, the participants were examined by two oral health professionals. Depending on the type of lesion, the patients underwent a follow-up or pathological examination. In this way, the final diagnosis was made for all patients who were treated accordingly. In the end, the collected data were analyzed in SPSS and the results were presented using descriptive statistics in tables and graphs. Results: The Mean±SD time between the onset of symptoms and confirmation of diagnosis was 12.2±22.62 [Rn1] months (range: 1 day to 15 years). The Mean±SD time between the first referral to a physician and the referral to the department was 12.64±4.39 months (range: 0 days to 11 years). After the last referral to the physician and before visiting the department, 200 (53.8%) patients did not receive any treatment, 69 (18.5%) received appropriate treatment; 80 (21.5%) inappropriate treatment; and 23 (6.2%) unnecessary treatment. Conclusion: Based on the study findings, about half of the patients did not receive dental treatment, while about 20% of them received inappropriate treatment and 6% unnecessary treatment. Timely referral to a dental specialist for diagnosis and treatment is better than inappropriate and unnecessary treatment (which delays treatment and even cause false relief due to the temporary improvement of some lesions). A comprehensive effort should be made to find out the causes and resolve them through the promotion of education and development of teamwork between physicians for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.