Recall and re-care appointments are used to foster continuity of care. They are opportunities to detect new oral health problems, to provide preventive measures and counseling, and to evaluate the effectiveness of previous care. The periodicity of a preventive recall program should be based on the patient’s risk for oral disease. Recall and re-care intervals should be individualized to each patient's risk of developing new oral disease vs. the standard 6-month intervals.
An overwhelming demand for services makes it difficult to accommodate recall and re-care patients and new patients in a crowded appointment system. This is why it is important to individualize patient’s recall and re-care periodicity based on risk. Patients at elevated risk for oral disease may benefit from recall visits every 3 or 6 months, while those at low risk may be fine visiting the dentist once a year or even on alternating years.
Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
Georgetown University