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History Taking and General Examinations
As patients we always wonder why the dentist always starts off, asking questions regarding general health and medical problems, rather than directly treat the problem we present with. Question regarding blood pressure, diabetes, prior hospitalization, drugs consumed
etc, may sound irrelevant or, if not frightening to us. However this does carry a great deal of significance to the dentist. Correct information regarding our general health is an important factor determining the success of any dental treatment.
Mentioned below is the relevance of a few common medical conditions prevalent among the Indian population, to dental treatment.
Increased Blood Pressure or Hypertension:
High blood pressure or Hypertension is a condition where the pressure exerted by the flowing blood against the blood vessels is more than the normal range. The normal range for a young patient in 120/80 can increase to 160/90 age advances. Any Blood pressure recorded beyond 160/90 is considered as hypertension. In a patient with high Blood pressure dental surgical procedure which an acceptable amount of bleeding such as tooth removal or gum surgeries can result in increased and uncontrollable bleeding. The amount of bleeding can be frightening to the patient.
To avoid such a situation the patient should religiously control his or her Blood pressure before visiting a dentist for any treatment.
Diabetes mellitus:
It is a common condition seen among middle aged and the older population. Wound created by a dental procedure such as tooth removal in a patient having increased blood sugar, carries an increased risk of infection as well as longer period of wound healing. This can result in pain & discomfort for quite a long period following the procedure. Therefore it a vital to control our blood sugar levels if it is high.
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