Medical Emergencies · single question
An 80-year-old insists his oral health is excellent, but you observe heavy calculus and multiple carious lesions. What is the best approach?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Describe your specific findings and check his understanding of them
- A. Nothing in the presentation requires specialist geriatric referral. Age alone is not an indication.
- B. Cleaning around the problem without addressing it is supervised neglect and leaves the patient unable to consent meaningfully.
- C. CORRECT. There is a gap between the patient's perception and the clinical reality, and closing that gap is the prerequisite for any informed decision. Describe what you see in concrete, non-judgemental terms, show him with a mirror or intraoral camera, and then confirm what he has taken in by asking him to say it back. This is the teach-back method.
- D. Deferring to an inaccurate self-assessment abandons the duty to inform.
Note: Teach-back is the evidence-based tool here: 'I want to make sure I explained that clearly — can you tell me in your own words what we found today?' It surfaces misunderstanding far better than 'Do you have any questions?'
Practice Medical Emergencies questions Medical Emergencies study notes