Self-Reported Medical Problems Among Dental Patients in Western Uttar Pradesh, India

Medical Conditions, Oral Health Practices, and Barriers to Treatment among Patients Visiting a Teaching Dental Hospital in Eastern Saudi Arabia

Objective

To assess the prevalence of medical conditions, oral hygiene practices, and dental visits among patients who attended a teaching dental hospital in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Materials & Methods. This retrospective cross-sectional study used patient records from 2009 to 2015 from the dental hospital of the College of Dentistry Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam. Patients' demographics, medical history, oral hygiene practices, reasons for attending the facility, attendance patterns, and smoking habits were studied.

Results

The study included 1502 records of patients with 65.1% of males and 34.9% of females. The prevalence of medical conditions was 25.7% in the study. The most common medical conditions included diabetes mellitus (7.2%), hypertension (6.5%), and anemia (4.7%). Only 21.8% reported visiting the dental hospital in the past one year. The prevalence of smoking was 16.7%, and this did not differ significantly between healthy and medically compromised patients (P=0.165). Fillings were the most common (21.6%) reason for visiting a dental hospital, followed by treatment for periodontal problems (12.9%) and oral lesions (12.6%), whereas treatment for braces (orthodontics) was the least common (5%) reason for visiting the hospital. The reasons for visiting the hospital did not differ significantly between healthy and medically compromised patients (P > 0.05). The three most common barriers to dental visits included long waiting time (18.1%), fear of dental treatment (14.4%), and difficulty in getting an appointment (11.3%).

Conclusion

The study showed that dental patients had a high prevalence of medical conditions. Diabetes mellitus was the most prevalent problem. Most patients visited the dental hospital to receive restorative treatment, and a long waiting time was the most common barrier to dental visits. Public health measures should be taken to improve the general health and oral care of patients.

The Evaluation of Medical Conditions in Patients Admitted to the Oral Diagnosis Clinic

Background/Aim: The aim of this study is to set forth the current systemic diseases of the patients admitted to the oral diagnosis clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry Sütçü İmam University, and the prevalence of these diseases.

Material and Methods: This study will be conducted by retrospective evaluation of anamneses in the tooth information management system of patients admitted to the oral diagnosis clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry, Sütçü İmam University for dental treatment. The anamneses taken from the patients before their treatments will be obtained from digital medium.

Results: Out of 4077 patients included in the study, 2554 were female, and 1523 were male. Of them, 25.6% had systemic diseases. The mean age of the patients was 35.24%+12.3. It was found that cardiovascular diseases were more common than the other systemic diseases. The most common cardiovascular disease was found to be hypertension (7.5%), while the most common endocrine system disease was diabetes mellitus (7.5%).

Conclusions: Dental practitioners must keep themselves up-to-date as they encounter patients with systemic diseases. They must pay attention while taking anamneses from patients. Therefore, they may apply medical consultation to prevent probable complications when necessary.

Medical Risk Assessment in Patients Referred to Dental Clinics, Mashhad, Iran (2011-2012)

Advances in medical and dental techniques have led to a growing aged population living with complex medical conditions. This study focuses on the detection of medically compromised dental patients by means of a validated patient-administered medical risk-related history questionnaire.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used the questionnaire EMRRH (European Risk Related Medical History) in order to study the prevalence as well as the risk assessment of past medical problems in a population who visited dental centers (dental university, dental offices and clinics) for treatment in Mashhad, Iran.

RESULTS

A total number of 1,188 patients were registered, 871 of whom had a medical history that was of some interest to us. From the population with medical problems which was 30.6% of the total (N=219), 26.7% of the patients were classified as risk ASA I; 37.3% as ASA II, 16.9% as ASA III; and 19.1% as ASA IV. Among the diverse pathologies, the highest percentage was hypertension (11.6%), followed by allergies to different drugs (8.37%).

CONCLUSION

It seems absolutely essential for dental practitioners to take a detailed medical history prior to any therapeutic procedure, as certain medical conditions, if unnoticed, will lead to unfavorable consequences and/or repercussions.

[Use of analgesia and sedation in dental implantology in patients with concomitant hypertension]

Dental implants surgery in patients with hypertension increases the risk of vascular complications. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of analgesia and sedation on blood pressure and postoperative pain in dental implantology. In 76 patients with hypertension implant surgery was performed under local anesthesia only (40 patients) or under local anesthesia with propofol sedation and pre-emptive analgesia with ketorolac (36 patients). Intraoperative systolic blood pressure in the second group was 20% less than in the first group while the intensity of pain in the postoperative period in the second group was three times less than in the first one. Propofol sedation in dental implantology provides hemodynamic stability in patients with concomitant hypertension and preemptive analgesia with ketorolac allows minimizing postoperative pain.