A new research disclosed that physicians often underestimate troubles patients face regarding dental or skin conditions.

Francesca Sampogna, researcher in epidemiology at the Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, Rome stated, "To limit this problem, specific courses in communication should be included in the training of healthcare personnel."

Sampogna examined how doctors perceive patients' psychosocial situation owing to skin or dental conditions.

The researcher discovered, among other things, that skin doctors often misunderstand the occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorder among their patients.

She said, "I believe this can be the result of faulty communication with the patient, but also of the fact that the doctors only look at the clinical situation. At the same time I'm aware that it isn't easy to evaluate a patient's mental status in just a few minutes, but even in a limited time a doctor should be able to create a dialogue with his patient..."

Two researches in the dissertation deal with patients suffering from dental problems. The outcomes disclosed that dentists have a tendency to misinterpret their patients' quality of life.

This means that in general patients' dental status does not have such a negative impact on their quality of life as dentists believe, says an Istituto Dermopatico release.

"It's an interesting finding, and I believe part of the explanation may be found in the differences in how patients and dentists or dental hygienists perceive the situation. To patients, the dental condition, even though it may be serious, is only one of multiple components in their lives, whereas the providers' knowledge of the condition can lead them to overestimate how patients are affected by it," Sampogna added. (With Inputs from Agencies)