Dental Clinic Visitors Also Have Medical Problems
December 29, 2009

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - People who visited an emergency dental clinic in the West Indies also had at least one significant medical problem.

The clinic sees about 25,000 patients a year. A study examined 571 visitors. Three-quarters of the people in the study were under age 60, and 63% were women.

Of the people in the study, 42% had at least one medical condition. Many had more than one. The most common conditions were:

• High blood pressure (hypertension), in 13% of the people
• Allergies (penicillin, aspirin or food), 8%
• Diabetes, 6%
• Asthma, 6%
• Arthritis, 5%

Women had more medical problems than men did. They also had higher rates of arthritis and anemia.

Smokers had more angina (chest pain), ulcers and poor eyesight than nonsmokers. They also were more likely to have a family history of diabetes.

Fifteen percent of people in the study had a family history of high blood pressure. About 10% had a family history of diabetes.

Many medical conditions can affect the mouth. Also, hundreds of medicines can cause dry mouth, which increases a person's risk for tooth decay.

The study appears in the December issue of the journal Dental Education.