Lab investigations can be an important part of the evaluation of a patients health status. Whether the dentist orders tests personally or refers the patient to a physician for testing, the dentist should be familiar with indications for clinical laboratory testing as well as what tests measure, and what abnormal results mean. Clinical chemistry is concerned with the diagnosis and monitoring of disease by measuring the concentration of chemicals, principally in blood and in urine. Hematology is concerned with the investigation and monitoring of diseases which affect the number, size and...