Medical and Pharmacology | Human diseases and medical and dental emergencies | Musculoskeletal problems in the dental patient

Musculoskeletal problems in the dental patient
Session overview
Description
This session describes the aetiology, presentation and management of common musculoskeletal disorders along with the impact they may have on the dental patient.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• identify patients with musculoskeletal problems
• discuss the pathology of important musculoskeletal disorders
• propose dental care appropriate to the common musculoskeletal disorders
• recognise and manage complications of dental health which can arise in patients with musculoskeletal problems

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• be familiar with the range of musculoskeletal disorders which are common in the dental patient population
• have an understanding of the role pharmacology has in the management of these disorders
• be capable of performing a general inspection and appropriate examination of your patient population

Dental practitioners are guaranteed to treat patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, as they account for almost 1 out of 6 of all appointments to the general medical practitioner.

The most common presentation is with pain, stiffness and swelling.

Problems can be:

• in 1 or multiple joints
• external to the joint (muscles and tendons)
• inside the joint (arthropathy or inflammation)

Please note that 2 common MSK disorders: rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are covered in detail in the Rheumatoid arthritis, SLE and Sjögren’s presentation in the dental patient (141-01014) session in Module 2. They will therefore not be discussed in detail in this session.