The Obstetric Patient

occur, the dental community responds. B ut w hat about the homeless and poor in our communities? They are rig h t in our backyards. W hat are we doing to take care of the dental h ealth of these people? A ren’t they ju st as deserving of our care and attention as those in Third-W orld countries? I’m not saying th a t everyone should give up private practice or th a t a m ajor portion of one’s practice should be dedicated to seeing poor and homeless patients. I know th a t m any in the profession have high school loans th a t need to be paid. But there are other ways to help. Being willing to volunteer a day in a community clinic, donating money to these community clinics, speaking out as dental advocates for the poor, m aking sure legislators know the dental profession is con­ cerned about the poor by contributing to campaign funds and letting dental companies know you will buy their products if they will support dental program s for the poor and homeless. These are ju st a few examples of w hat we can do. Let’s stop constantly dwelling on how to m ake more money or how to keep the governm ent from regulating the profession so vigorously. We need to balance these things th a t are im portant w ith our social responsibilities. Together, as a profession, we can m ake the most difference in the delivery of dental care to the poor and homeless in our own backyard. J o h n R. Liu, D.D.S. S eattle

THE OBSTETRIC PATIENT

The article, “T reating the Pregnant Dental Patient: Four Basic Rules Addressed” by Dr. Michael Shrout and others addresses im portant aspects of dental care in the obstetric patient (May). The authors should be congratulated for presenting this tim ely issue. Our knowledge base has grown considerably regarding the safety of various medica­ tions and procedures during pregnancy. Accordingly, it has become clear th at, w ith few exceptions, neither indicated nor preventive health m easures should be w ithheld from the obstetric patient. This is certainly the case w ith dental care. The recom mendation to consider consultation w ith the p atien t’s obstetrician in unusual circumstances is wise, as the m ost likely resu lt of a dialogue between care providers is its benefit to the patient. The Committee on Obstetrics: M aternal and Fetal Medicine of the American College of O bstetricians and Gynecologists strongly supports the views upheld in this article. H arold A. K am inetzky, M.D. The A m erican C ollege o f O b stetrician s and G yn ecologists W ashington

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