Dental treatment leads to life-saving diagnosis

UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH PLAYS KEY ROLE IN PROJECT

- ANNETTE BELCHER

A MAN had life-saving treatment after having a blood pressure check at his dentist in Plymouth.

Blood pressure checks offered by the dental treatment centre enabled the 65-year-old to receive potentially life-saving care for suspected heart failure.

A new study, published in the British Dental Journal, details the case of the pensioner, who attended a hypertension case-finding clinic run by the University of Plymouth's Peninsula Dental School and Peninsula Dental Social Social Enterprise (PDSE).

The patient, who wants to remain anonymous, had a previous history of high blood pressure, and had been prescribed medication by his GP as a means of managing the ongoing condition.