Start here
What to know
In a hospice, dental care is measured against comfort and treatment burden — invasive treatment is usually avoided in favour of relief and dignity. Coordinate with the palliative team, respect the agreed care goals, and keep visits short, calm and centred on the person’s wishes.
For this situation
What matters in this situation
Main concern to resolve
Check whether the setting, equipment and infection-control arrangements are suitable.
Information that changes the plan
Prepare the referral question, urgency, relevant non-identifying summary, referrer contact, consent and access needs; use a secure route for patient records.
Question to ask
What is the referral question, how urgent is it, which secure route will receive records and who will confirm follow-up?
Decision checklist
Questions to answer now
- What exactly is the referral asking for?
- What is worth flagging about gentle, comfort-focused care at a hospice bedside?
- Who will confirm it is accepted, arrange access and see follow-up through?
Before contacting
What to prepare
- Write the referral reason and requested outcome for hospices.
- Attach only relevant history, medicines, findings and previous care.
- Include the mobility, communication, consent and transport needs affecting gentle, comfort-focused care at a hospice bedside.
- Name the sender, receiving team and person responsible for follow-up.
Professional referral enquiry
Request a secure route for a professional referral
Send only the service area, referral reason and a suitable callback time. The provider can then give you a secure route for patient-identifying records.
Add referral timing and facility details (optional)
Do not include the patient’s name, IC number, full record, medication list or clinical images in this WhatsApp message.
Add the area, non-identifying referral reason and best contact time to prepare the message.
Before sharing records: Confirm the receiving provider, named contact, secure intake route, practitioner details, intended scope and who is responsible for follow-up.
When another setting is safer
When to pause and clarify
- Confirm receipt, destination and timing, then tell the patient or caregiver who is responsible for the next action.
- Before booking care for hospices, confirm the attending dentist, the scope proposed, fee items, follow-up and the referral plan.
FAQ
Common questions
What is the goal of dental care in a hospice?
Comfort — easing mouth pain, dryness, denture problems and anything affecting eating, speaking or rest, in line with the palliative care plan.
Is invasive treatment usually done?
Usually not; care weighs comfort against treatment burden and favours gentle relief and dignity over long or invasive procedures.
Who is involved in planning?
The palliative team, the person and their family, so dental care respects the agreed goals and the person’s wishes.
Sources
Each source is shown with the part of this guide it supports.
- Guideline for domiciliary oral healthcare · Ministry of Health MalaysiaSupports Malaysian home-visit planning and delivery context.
- Special Care Dentistry · Ministry of Health Malaysia Oral Health ProgrammeSupports Malaysian special-care and domiciliary context.
- Oral health fact sheet · World Health OrganizationSupports general oral-health background.
- Oral Health Programme · Ministry of Health MalaysiaSupports Malaysian oral-health governance context.
- Malaysian Dental Council · Malaysian Dental CouncilSupports dentist registration and current practising checks.
Content updated: 2026-09-01.