Patient Assessment & Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real CDC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment & Evaluation flashcards as text
A dental consultant reviews a panoramic radiograph and notes a radiopaque mass with a 'sunburst' pattern. This is most consistent with:
Answer: Osteosarcoma
A 'sunburst' or 'sunray' pattern of bone destruction on radiograph is a classic sign of osteosarcoma requiring urgent referral.
During patient assessment, a 'click' upon mandibular opening and closing is documented. This finding is most consistent with:
Answer: Anterior disc displacement with reduction
A reciprocal click (upon opening and closing) indicates anterior disc displacement with reduction, where the disc recaptures during movement.
Which systemic condition, if uncontrolled, most significantly impairs the host response and should be flagged during dental patient assessment?
Answer: Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
Uncontrolled diabetes impairs neutrophil function, wound healing, and immune response, significantly affecting periodontal and post-operative outcomes.
The plaque index (PI) developed by Silness and Löe assesses plaque by:
Answer: Scoring plaque thickness at the gingival margin without disclosing agents
The Silness-Löe Plaque Index scores plaque thickness at the gingival margin using a probe without requiring a disclosing agent.
A patient shows a fistulous tract (sinus tract) on the facial gingiva. The most appropriate diagnostic step to trace its origin is:
Answer: Insert a gutta percha point into the tract and take a periapical radiograph
Inserting a gutta percha cone into the sinus tract and radiographing traces the tract to its source, usually a necrotic tooth apex.
During assessment, a patient describes pain that wakes them from sleep, is spontaneous, and lingers after cold stimulus. This pulpal diagnosis is:
Answer: Irreversible pulpitis
Spontaneous pain, nocturnal pain, and prolonged response to thermal stimuli are hallmark symptoms of irreversible pulpitis.
In a dental benefits review, the consultant assesses whether a procedure meets 'clinical necessity.' Which standard best defines this?
Answer: The treatment is appropriate, necessary, and consistent with accepted dental standards for the diagnosed condition
Clinical necessity requires that treatment be appropriate, necessary, and consistent with professionally recognized standards for the specific diagnosed condition.