2026 Volume 39 Issue 1 Pages 27-31
In today’s hyper-aged society, the number of older patients with hypertension undergoing dental implant surgery is increasing. Hypertension is a major risk factor for systemic complications during dental treatment. The use of local anesthetics containing adrenaline, combined with the psychological and physical stress associated with surgery, can precipitate acute blood pressure spikes. This substantially increases the risk of severe acute complications, including hypertensive encephalopathy, cerebral hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, and arrhythmias. Therefore, developing a safe perioperative management system for patients with hypertension is critical to ensure a high quality of dental care during dental implant surgery.
To this end, a detailed medical interview should be conducted before implant treatment to assess the medical history, medication details, home blood pressure measurements, current blood pressure control status, and any existing complications. Continuous monitoring of the patient’s general condition through regular measurements of blood pressure and heart rate, as well as that of percutaneous arterial blood oxygen saturation and electrocardiogram, is crucial during surgery.
Minimizing stress through conscious sedation is associated with reduced anxiety and physiological alleviation of such adverse reactions. Conscious sedation, involving methods such as nitrous oxide inhalation and intravenous sedation, is an effective tool for patients with anxiety or nervousness. These methods, when used in conjunction with dental implant surgeries, can effectively alleviate stress-induced cardiovascular reactions. However, these methods should be carefully selected according to patient-specific characteristics and associated risk factors.
We believe that systemic management that considers patient characteristics will lead to the provision of safe, high-quality dental implant surgery.
