Oral health risk assessment

Oral health risk assessment involves the comprehensive assessment of hereditary, clinical and lifestyle factors which impact upon the likelihood of developing oral disease, the findings of which are used to support decision-making in planning preventive care for the patient. Edwards et al described the most effective ways of communicating risk messages to patients.¹ Of primary importance is the discussion of those factors with the patient, a conversation which is facilitated through a risk-targeted questionnaire. At the end of the assessment patients should be sufficiently informed such that the derived risk banding does not come as a surprise to them. To have any credibility, risk assessment must use the best available research and evidence base to categorize that patient into risk bands (either numerical or on a traffic light scale). These bandings should enable patients to understand how their risk compares with that of the rest of the population. To carry impact, risk assessment should also encompass providing patients with personalized written reports which document their individualized risk and what they can do about it. Most importantly, the process transfers to patients the knowledge and responsibility for securing their future health.