Medical evaluation for outpatient dental procedures

Family physicians are often consulted to evaluate medically a patient for various dental procedures. The majority of the referrals are for diseases of the cardiovascular system. General guidelines have been established at the University of Maryland Family Health Center for the evaluation of these patients. These guidelines pertain to the use of local anesthetics and prophylaxis for endocarditis, as well as to the evaluation of patients with cardiac disease, hypertension, pulmonary disease, endocrine disease, neurological disease, hepatic disease, pregnancy, and anticoagulant therapy.