Hypertension in a Dental School Patient Population

Abstract

Patient records were retrospectively reviewed to investigate the incidence of hypertensive patients seen at a U.S. dental school. This research was conducted to create an awareness of the current problems in diagnosing and treating hypertensive patients in the dental environment. Nine hundred and seventy-six records of patients seen between January 1, 1999 and January 1, 2000 were reviewed. Five hundred records that met specific study criteria related to health history, medications used, recorded blood pressure, and other criteria were selected for the study. Factors examined included demographic data consisting of age, sex, and ethnicity; history of hypertension; Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure classification; control of hypertension; and medications used. The data demonstrated that 32 percent of the patients were hypertensive, 49 percent of whom were unaware of their high blood pressure prior to their dental visit. Nearly 9 percent of the hypertensive patients with elevated blood pressure had to be immediately sent for medical consult before they could receive dental treatment. The average blood pressure of the hypertensive patients was systolic 145.6 and diastolic 87.9 with a range of 110 to 240 systolic, 60 to 135 diastolic. Of the diagnosed patients, 41.9 percent were taking antihypertensive medication for their condition, and 13 percent were taking two or more medications. Nearly one third of a sample of 500 dental school clinic patients had high blood pressure in this retrospective study. This study demonstrates that it is crucial that dental providers take blood pressure readings for screening, monitoring of hypertensive patients, and appropriate dental care.Ms. Kellogg is a dental student and Dr. Gobetti is Professor and

Prehypertension and undiagnosed hypertension in a sample of dental school female patients

“…In the present study, 66% of those with HBP were not aware of their condition prior to their dental visits. This is higher than that reported among dental patients in the US and in Japan (12, 13), which could be an indication of the lower health awareness in the present sample. Moreover, almost half of those with history of hypertension had elevated blood pressure.…”

“…In a recent study in Saudi dental patients, history of hypertension was reported by only 6.7% of the studied sample and this lower prevalence was attributed in part to the possibility that some patients may have undiagnosed hypertension (11). In two studies among dental school patients in the US and in Japan, 49% and 20%, respectively, of persons with high blood pressure (HBP) were not aware of their condition prior to their dental visit (12, 13).…”

Characteristics of Patients Discontinuing Care

“…Of note, measures of provider–patient interaction and its perceived quality are absent from these surveys, although patients drawn to the dental school setting may find these qualities more important than patients who seek care in a conventional dental setting [8]. While the attributes of dental school patients have been previously described, the studies have focused on specific groups, such as those with mental illness, substance abuse disorders, cancer, or hypertension [9,10,11,12]. Income and enrollment in insurance have previously been documented to predict the receipt of preventive dental services in the dental school setting; however, to our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the factors that lead dental school patients to depart from this care model [36].…”

“…Previous studies on patients seeking care in DSCs have focused on the prevalence of specific medical conditions or have been adapted from consumer surveys used in other settings that do not address issues of quality and provider interaction [8,9,10,11,12]. The current pilot study is a retrospective analysis of the case disposition form at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.…”

The choice of local anesthesia for patients with hypertension in dental practice

“…Артериальная гипертензия (АГ) является одним из самых распространенных заболеваний сердечно-сосудистой системы, которыми страдают от 20 до 30% взрослого населения [1,2]. Эта патология стоит на первом месте по заболеваемости, инвалидизации и смертности населения в экономически развитых странах, а 57% жителей планеты уходят из жизни из-за ишемической болезни сердца и других сердечных патологий.…”