Prevalence of medical conditions among patients attending dental teaching clinics in northern Jordan.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of self reported medical conditions among dental patients attending dental teaching clinics in north Jordan.


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Khader
Yousef Saleh
YS
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. yousef.k@excite.com
Alsaeed
Oula
O
Burgan
Samar Zaal
SZ
Amarin
Zouhair Odeh
ZO
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003740:Dental Clinics; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006474:Hemorrhagic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007597:Jordan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires