title: Accuracy of digital arm and wrist manometers: clinical implications for the dental hygienist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Utilization of digital manometers chairside is fast becoming a standard of care in dental hygiene education. It is imperative to ensure accurate blood pressure measurements regardless of modality to avoid medical emergencies in the dental chair. This study sought to determine the accuracy of the automated digital arm and wrist cuffs utilized by students in the University of Maine at Augusta, Bangor Campus Dental Health Programs' dental hygiene clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional review board approval, 121 subjects were recruited, with 21 excluded for a total of 100 subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned to different test modalities upon check-in. Initial blood pressure measurements were taken with a calibrated aneroid control device by a principal investigator. A second measurement was taken with the randomized arm or wrist manometer 5 minutes later. Investigators were blinded to the modality of test manometer and measurements obtained from the second reading. All readings were taken according to manufacturers' instructions to ensure technique consistency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data indicated lower readings for each modality from the control for both systolic and diastolic measurements. The differences in the systolic and diastolic readings for the wrist modality were significantly lower than the control with (p= 0.000) and (p=0.000), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Automated digital manometers should be used with caution as a screening tool in the dental setting, particularly when administration of pharmacological agents such as local anesthesia may be used during the course of treatment. These automated modalities should not be used for patients with cardiac or hypertensive conditions.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Furgeson
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mickels-Foster
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D006801:Humans; D009991:Oscillometry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014953:Wrist
keywords: accuracy; blood pressure; dental hygiene; manometer