A study recently published in the United States of America demonstrates that dentists can play a fundamental role in the screening of chronic diseases. The authors of the study believe that screening for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or cholesterol in dentists’ offices can lead to savings ranging from 40 to 100 million dollars a year.
Orlando Monteiro da Silva, president of the Order of Dentists, stresses that “all dentists have a sheet with information about the health status of their patients, which they update during consultations. Visits to the dentist are one of the most regular, patients usually have half-yearly or annual appointments, so there is a regularity that is not seen in other medical specialties. What this study highlights is that this regularity can help detect and manage chronic diseases.”
The study published in the American Journal of Public Health argues that all patients over 40 years old should be monitored by dentists, which may also contribute to increasing the number of diagnosed patients.
Source: http://www.saudeoral.pt/news.aspx?menuid=8&eid=6910&bl=1