title: Medical risk classification of dental patients in The Netherlands.
abstract: This study centers on the general health of dental patients, evaluated on the basis of the physical status classification system of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). A total of 4,087 patients completed a risk-related, patient-administered questionnaire. On the basis of their medical data, a computerized ASA classification was determined for each patient: 63.3 percent were in ASA class I, 25.7 percent in class II, 8.9 percent in class III, and 2.1 percent in class IV. After verification and/or consultation with the physician, the dentist also determined the ASA class, and this was compared with the computerized outcome. The agreement expressed as a kappa value was 0.64; the computer result generally placed the patient in a higher category of medical risk. The computer-determined ASA classes differed among the various dental practices (chi 2 = 262.9; df = 138; P < .01). It is possible to estimate the risk class of dental patients on the basis of standardized medical information only; however, the definitive ASA class can only be determined after verification of the patient's reply or, in some cases, after consultation with a physician.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Pathology and Internal Medicine, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oosting
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abraham-Inpijn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill; D003792:Dental Records; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D009426:Netherlands; D015588:Observer Variation; D010361:Patients / Q000145:classification*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires