Patients' needs--more than meets the eye

For many years, 'need' for dental care has been measured by assessing the extent of disease present in an individual's mouth. A person is viewed as requiring treatment if their oral tissues are damaged in any way by pathological processes or trauma. However, GDPs understand that patients often only attend for care when they experience symptoms or events which disrupt their life in some way, so that dental attendance relies upon a person feeling that they do not look, speak or feel 'well' in some way.