A dental history is a summary of a patient’s past and present dental symptoms, conditions and treatments. Patients who visit a new dentist for the first time are typically asked to fill out a form that includes this information. The dentist is then likely to use this information to ask additional questions that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient.

A dental history is often divided into three components:

• Personal dental history. This includes facts about the patient’s present and past dental concerns.
  
  
• Social history. This includes information about the patient’s habits and lifestyle that may affect oral health (e.g., diet, dental hygiene habits, tendency to eat sweets, tobacco use).
  
  
• Family history. A family dental history includes information about any health conditions that tend to run in the patient’s family.

A dentist sifts through all of the information from the dental history to determine the patient’s health status, diagnose problems and determine the best course of treatment. Knowledge gained from the dental history can also help a dentist to look for hidden or developing dental problems that may be more likely given the patient’s dental history.

The reliability of the patient’s dental history is crucial because medical decisions are made based on this information. At times, however, dental history information may not be entirely accurate. Ambiguities and even omissions are common mistakes that patients make in maintaining accurate dental histories. However, omitting information can negatively affect dental care.

There are several steps that patients can take to help compile a more thorough dental history. These include writing down information about symptoms and previous dental history before a dental appointment and asking that medical forms be provided before an office visit to allow more time for accurate answers.