Prevalence of medical conditions among patients attending dental teaching clinics in northern Jordan

• Published in: The journal of contemporary dental practice Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 60 - 67
• Main Authors: Khader, Yousef Saleh, Alsaeed, Oula, Burgan, Samar Zaal, Amarin, Zouhair Odeh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India 01-01-2007
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibiotic Prophylaxis - utilization; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Care for Chronically Ill - statistics & numerical data; Dental Clinics; Dentistry; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Hemorrhagic Disorders - epidemiology; Hospitals, Teaching; Humans; Hypertension - epidemiology; Jordan - epidemiology; Kidney Diseases - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; Jordan
• ISSN: 1526-3711; 1526-3711
• DOI: 10.5005/jcdp-8-1-60

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of self reported medical conditions among dental patients attending dental teaching clinics in north Jordan.
A total of 1,509 patients were included, of which 46.1% were males and 53.9% were females. All age groups were included and ranged between 14 and 78 years. The findings were analyzed in relation to age and gender.
Overall, gastrointestinal disease was most prevalent (11.9%), followed by bleeding tendencies (9.3%), renal disorders (8.7%), respiratory disease (8.3%), and hypertension (6.4%). Only 3.2% of the participants reported having antibiotics prescribed for them prior to a dental procedure for prophylactic purposes.
Due to the high frequency of medical conditions, thorough evaluation of patients' medical and dental care histories should be a mandatory first step in their management.