General medicine and surgery for dental practitioners: part 1. History taking and examination of the clothed patient.

All dental practitioners must be proficient at taking a medical history, examining a clothed patient and recognising relevant clinical signs. The general examination of a patient should take into account findings from the history. This paper does not attempt to address the detailed oral and dental examination carried out by dental practitioners but focuses on the holistic patient assessment - essential for safe patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]