Dentists can identify patients at risk of fatal heart attacks.Byline: ANI Washington, Nov 6 (ANI): Dentists can do more than just taking care of your oral health - they can help determine your risk for fatal heart attack, says a new study. The study followed 200 patients (101 women and 99 men) in private dental practices Noun 1. dental practice - the practice of dentistry practice - the exercise of a profession; "the practice of the law"; "I took over his practice when he retired" in Sweden whose dentists used a computerized system, "HeartScore," to calculate the risk of a patient dying from a cardiovascular event within a 10-year period. The system, designed by the European Society of Cardiology The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 50,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its mission is to reduce the impact of cardiovascular disease in Europe. , measures cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease risk in persons aged 40-65 by factoring the person's age, sex, total cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure Systolic blood pressure Blood pressure when the heart contracts (beats). Mentioned in: Hypertension and smoking status. Patients with HeartScores of 10 percent or higher, meaning they had a 10 percent or higher risk of having a fatal heart attack or stroke within a 10-year period, were told by dentists to seek medical advice regarding their condition. 12 patients in the study, all of them men, had HeartScores of 10 percent or higher. All women participating in the study had HeartScores of 5 percent or less. Of the 12 male patients with HeartScores of 10 percent or higher, nine sought further evaluation by a medical care provider who decided that intervention was indicated for six of the patients. Two patients did not follow the dentist's recommendation to seek further medical evaluation and one patient was only encouraged by his dentist to discontinue smoking. Physicians for three patients were not able to confirm their risk for cardiovascular disease. All 200 patients enrolled in the study were 45 years of age or older with no history of cardiovascular disease, medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol Cholesterol, High Definition Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in animal tissue and is an important component to the human body. It is manufactured in the liver and carried throughout the body in the bloodstream. or diabetes and had not visited a physician during the previous year to assess their glucose, cholesterol or blood pressure levels. The researchers conclude that oral health care professionals can identify patients who are unaware of their risk of developing serious complications as a result of cardiovascular disease and who are in need of medical interventions. The study has been published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association The Journal of the American Dental Association, or JADA, is a monthly journal of reliable, peer-reviewed information on dentistry, and is published by the American Dental Association (ADA). The current editor is Dr. .(ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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