Frequency and distribution of medical problems in an adult dental population

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency of medical problems and their distribution in different age groups within an adult population of dental patients. Medical histories of 1100 patients were obtained and analyzed. In all, 59.8% of the patients were healthy, 25.9% had one medical problem, 9.7% had two and 4.6% had three or more medical problems. As well, 27.8% of the patients were on occasional or long-term medications for their medical problems, the most frequently noted medical problems were allergy, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. With age, the incidence of medical problems as well as the percentage of patients with multiple problems increased. Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes increased dramatically in older age groups. The recognized high incidence of medical problems in the dental population studied suggested an increased risk of complications during dental treatment, and further supports the importance of evaluating the medical status of dental patients before treatment