Screening for hypertension in a public dental clinic: A single-centre cross-sectional study in Australia

BACKGROUND: Hypertension affects over 1.3 million people globally and markers of poor oral health have been associated with hypertension. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine hypertension awareness, treatment and control, among adults attending a public dental clinic, and explore age-related differences between younger (< 65 years) and older adults (≥ 65 years) including associations between markers of oral health and hypertension. METHOD: This cross-sectional study recruited adults ≥18 years from an Australian public dental clinic between November 2022 and May 2023. Two blood pressure readings were obtained using an automated device and the average used for analyses. Demographic, oral health and medical history details were obtained via survey. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg, or being aware (self-reported diagnosis), and treated with anti-hypertensive medication. RESULTS: Participants (n = 302) were middle aged (mean 59.9 ± 17.5 years, 51.5% ≥ 65 years, 60.7% female), one third had significant tooth loss (