The oral health status, behaviours and knowledge of patients with cardiovascular disease in Sydney Australia: a cross-sectional survey

• DOI: 10.1186/s12903-018-0697-x
• Publication Date: 2019-01-11T11:30:09Z
• Authors: Paula Sanchez; Bronwyn Everett; Yenna Salamonson; Julie Redfern; Shilpi Ajwani; Sameer Bhole; Joshua Bishop; Karen Lintern; Samantha Nolan; Rohan Rajaratnam; Maria Sheehan; Fiona Skarligos; Lissa Spencer; Ravi Srinivas; Ajesh George
• Keywords: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Status; periodontal disease; Oral health behaviours; 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; Oral Health; Care; Cardiovascular; anzsrc-for: 3203 Dentistry; 0302 clinical medicine; 3203 Dentistry; 7.1 Individual care needs; Surveys and Questionnaires; Minority Health; Children; Practice; Health Knowledge; Incidence; 3 Good Health and Well Being; RK1-715; Health Services; Cardiovascular disease; 3. Good health; Health Disparities; Heart Disease; Oral health status; Cardiovascular Diseases; care and hygiene; Periodontal disease; Research Article; Risk; 610; Blockers; diseases; 03 medical and health sciences; anzsrc-for: 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; Periodontal-Disease; Clinical Research; XXXXXX - Unknown; Oral health knowledge; Humans; Women; anzsrc-for: 1105 Dentistry; Dental/Oral and Craniofacial Disease; Workshop; teeth; Prevention; Australia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Attitude; Socioeconomic Factors; 3500 Dentistry; Attitudes; Dentistry; cardiovascular system

Periodontal disease is a risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and it is recommended internationally that patients with cardiovascular disease should engage in preventative oral health practices and attend regular dental care visits. This study aimed to explore the oral health status, behaviours and knowledge of patients with cardiovascular disease.A cross-sectional questionnaire containing 31 items was administered to patients with cardiovascular disease from cardiac rehabilitation and outpatient clinics in Sydney Australia in 2016-2017.Of the 318 patients surveyed, 81.1% reported having at least one oral health problem. Over a third (41.2%) of participants had not seen a dentist in the preceding 12 months and 10.7% had received any oral healthcare information in the cardiac setting. Those with valvular conditions were more likely to have received information compared to those with other cardiovascular conditions (40.6% versus 7.4%, p < 0.001). Only half of the participants had adequate oral health knowledge.Despite a high incidence of reported oral health problems, many patients lacked knowledge about oral health, were not receiving oral health information from cardiac care providers and had difficulty accessing dental services. Further research is needed to develop oral health strategies in this area.