The dentist as biobehavioral clinician

At the core of all clinical dental practice is the interpersonal interaction between dentist and patient. An expansion of the dentist's responsibility in the unique dentist-patient relationship is suggested. Such an expanded role encourages dentists to engage the emotional and behavioral health of dental patients who are appearing in dental offices for treatment of orofacial diseases and other conditions. The term "biobehavioral clinician" is used to refer to this broadened role for the dentist. It is suggested that such a biobehaviorally oriented dentist will be a powerful ally on behalf of the health of patients, attending to more dimensions of the patient's presentation and management than the diagnosis and treatment of oral pathobiology. It seems entirely appropriate that dentists have such a role in its future, engaging as they do millions and millions of Americans on a regular basis and a productive and collaborative dentist-patient relationship is already an accomplished fact for most dentists with most of their patients across all stages of the life span. The benefit to patients' overall health and well-being could be tremendous and would add an enriching and personally rewarding dimension to being a dentist.