The future of dental records?

They provide evidence to support our clinical decision-making, they can shield us in the face of scrutiny from our regulator and they can even be used to identify dead bodies. Dental records are a big deal but maybe we are failing to realise their potential?

Have you ever become frustrated when you are manually filling out the third referral form for the elderly patient who is in need of special care services, the one who did not bring their medication list so you had to call the GP for the referral to be accepted, and you are filling out the third form because you were not sure what was the most appropriate and reliable way to get them in touch with the correct provider?

Estonians now have blockchain-based, unassailable electronic medical records that enable seamless health information transfer between providers- the holy grail for all medical and dental professionals- and previous records cannot be modified under any circumstances. Digital Ledger Technology (AKA blockchain) is being harnessed to create a universal, web-based care record that all manner of services can access and contribute to with the permission of the patient.

This would mean that referrals between disciplines, for example GDP to oral surgery, would not require additional medical information and patient details to contextualise the encounter as this information would already be at the clinician’s fingertips. This would alleviate the demands on the referring clinician and mean that you can spend more time providing details of the presenting condition. FC