Blood pressure checks offered by a dental treatment centre in Plymouth have enabled a patient to receive potentially life-saving care for suspected heart failure.
A new study, published in the British Dental Journal, details the case of a 65-year-old male patient who attended a hypertension case-finding clinic run by the Peninsula Dental School and Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE).
The patient, who asked to remain anonymous, had a previous history of high blood pressure, and had been prescribed medication by his GP as a means of managing the ongoing condition.
However, at one of these case-finding clinics in June 2022, his blood pressure was found to be 150/85mmHg, and the patient was encouraged to contact his GP, in addition to the research team writing a formal referral letter.
Six days after being seen at the dental school, the patient was advised to visit his local emergency department and was subsequently hospitalised for 13 days where he received treatment for heart failure and suspected acute coronary syndrome. He was also later diagnosed with an overactive thyroid.
Writing in the British Dental Journal, the authors of the study say it highlights that checks undertaken in a primary care dental setting can be extremely useful in alerting patients and clinicians working across the health sector to potential issues. This model has the added advantages of being clinician-led, performing accurate blood pressure measurements, and referring to other services.
Amazon Doble, a Faculty of Health PhD student at the University, who established the blood pressure clinic, is the study's lead author.
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