Dental Management of Patient with Heart Disease

Dental healthcare providers encounter patients with various systemic diseases of which cardiovascular disease forms a significant segment. There has been an established relationship between oral health and cardiac disease. Common cardiac disorders encountered in a dental practice include hypertension, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, infective endocarditis, and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke. These patients need special considerations and an adequate understanding of the underlying cardiovascular condition to provide safe and effective dental treatment. Moreover, preventative dental care can potentially reduce complications and improve the systemic health outcome in such patients. This course aims at outlining measures to detect heart disease, provide appropriate dental management to patients with cardiovascular disease as well as understand the risks associated with the dental management of a cardiac patient.