2023 Volume 39 Issue 3 Pages 152-160
Abstract As stated in the attainment objectives of clinical training for dentists set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, trainee dentists are required to provide holistic medical care that focuses not only on the oral cavity but also on the entire body. The Oral Management Center of Nagasaki University Hospital has been conducting a program in which trainee dentists at the Center measure the blood pressure of patients they treat at each visit. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 24 trainee dentists who underwent one year of clinical training at Nagasaki University Hospital under the clinical training program for dentists in FY2022 to examine the effect of blood pressure measurement at each visit on the trainee dentists.
As a result, more than 90% of trainee dentists felt that blood pressure measurement at each visit was necessary and useful in their practice. The results also revealed that blood pressure measurement deepened their understanding of hypertension and made them more aware of their blood pressure, general condition, and medical history on the day of examination. Furthermore, while only 40% of the trainee dentists understood the importance of cooperation between medicine and dentistry when they were undergraduates, more than 90% of the trainee dentists felt the need for cooperation with medicine through blood pressure measurement at each visit, indicating a change in awareness of medical and dental cooperation.
The results of this survey suggest that blood pressure measurement at each visit has brought about a positive change in trainee dentists’ awareness of the need for cooperation between medicine and dentistry.
