Prevalence of Medical Problems in a Dental School Patient Population

Introduction: We previously reported the prevalence of medical problems in adult patients seeking dental care in the general student clinics at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1976 and 1986. The prevalence of medical problems increased from 7.3% to 24.6%. Data collected in 1996 indicated that the prevalence had further increased to 44.1%. In this study, we determined the prevalence of medical problems in adult patients seeking dental care in a dental school in 2006. We hypothesized that the prevalence of medical problems in dental school patients would be higher compared to the previous assessments.

Methods: Data were collected from 900 randomly selected dental records of adult patients seen in the general dental student clinics at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2006. Patient information was obtained from medical history questionnaires, progress notes, and notes from consultations with health care providers. Two full-time faculty members supervised and verified the data collected for the majority of the patients. Data were summarized and compared to the results from dental records of patients seen in 1976, 1986, and 1996.

Results: The average age of the patients whose dental records were examined was 50.0±17.2 (ave±S.D.) years old (range 16-90). Most of the patients were Caucasian (78.1%) and female (52.2%). Most (77.2%) patients had at least one medical problem (ave. 2.9±3.0 per patient; range 0 to 16). Cardiovascular (28.8%), musculoskeletal (17.4%), and immune (14.5%) system problems were the most prevalent. Medications (prescription, nonprescription, and/or supplements) were taken by 71.0% of patients (ave. 4.1±3.7 medications; range 1-36).

Conclusions: The prevalence of medical disease in adult patients seeking care at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2006 increased compared to 1976, 1986, and 1996.

Supported by the UMSOD Summer Fellowship Program