Most Dentists OK With Doing Medical Screenings
January 27, 2010

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Dentists are willing to screen their patients for common medical conditions, says new research. If necessary, they also will refer them to a physician if necessary, the study finds.

The research involved a survey that 1,945 dentists filled out. Most of them -- about 85% -- were male, white and had been dentists for more than 10 years.

Most said that it was "very important" or "somewhat important" for dentists to conduct screenings for:

• High blood pressure (86%)
• Cardiovascular disease (77%)
• Diabetes (77%)
• Hepatitis (72%)
• HIV (69%)

Most were willing to:

• Collect saliva samples
• Measure blood pressure
• Collect blood by finger stick

Nearly all -- 96% -- were willing to refer patients to a physician for follow-up. About 3 of every 4 dentists were willing to discuss the results of the screenings during the same dental visit.

Several barriers were identified to screenings in the dental office:

• Time
• Cost
• Liability
• Insurance
• Patient willingness

Patient willingness was the most important barrier, dentists said. The same group of researchers published some related results last year. They found that people are comfortable with their dentists doing certain screening tests in the dental office.

The least important barrier, from the dentists' point of view, was insurance coverage.

More than half of all adults see a dentist at least once a year. Therefore, screening by dentists could identify people who may need treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure or other potentially serious conditions.

Scientists from two universities and the American Dental Association did the study. It appears in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.