Oral health is mirror of general health. Oral healthcare professionals must be able to identify patients with systemic diseases, compromising conditions, and disabilities that have an impact on, and can be impacted by, oral and maxillofacial health care. The ability to properly practice dentistry within the context of the larger health care system is often a challenge for the dental practitioner but need not be so. Inappropriate identification of a patient with a compromising systemic condition through improper history taking and interpretation, can create ineffective, or even detrimental, oral health care.