OWN - Quintessenz Verlags-GmbH CI - Copyright Quintessenz Verlags-GmbH OCI - Copyright Quintessenz Verlags-GmbH TA - JT - DZZ International IS - 2627-3489 (Electronic) IP - 1 VI - 3 PST - epublish DP - 2021 PG - 16-0 LA - en TI - The "problematic patient": what is the problem? LID - 10.3238/dzz-int.2021.0002 [doi] FAU - Türp, Jens C. AU - Türp J CN - OT - health care provider's role OT - clinical decision-making OT - communication OT - craniomandibular disorders OT - dentist-patient relationship OT - interpretation OT - pattern recognition AB - Problem: When patients report pronounced physical complaints without sufficient somatic findings to substantiate them, practitioners sometimes refer to these patients as being "problem patients" or "difficult patients". When such an attribution is assigned, it usually denotes a difficult interpersonal relationship between practitioners and patients, which can be further exacerbated by deficits related to professional expertise, communication and dental fee schedules. Discussion/Conclusion: On the basis of examples of persistent temporomandibular disorders/orofacial pain, it is recommended that professionally practicing dentists should live up to their responsibility and trust given to them by patients. For that purpose, dentists must be aware of their limits of compe-tence and be cautious about overestimating their abilities. There are not only "difficult patients"; there are also "difficult dentists". AID - 3667901