Electronic dental record-based surveillance of non-communicable conditions.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study is to demonstrate that electronic dental records (EDRs) can be used to mine meaningful public health information.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective electronic dental chart-based reporting of disease prevalence.

METHODS

Using dental EDRs (N = 104,768), the authors assessed the prevalence of common non-communicable medical conditions among unique patients seen at a United States (U.S.) dental college.

RESULTS

The prevalence of following conditions in patients visiting a U.S. dental college increased steadily with increasing age: hypertension, angina, stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and allergies. Prevalence of these conditions was several-fold higher in the 66+ years group than among younger adults. Prevalence of many of the assessed conditions approximated published national estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the indispensable use of EDRs in dental education and patient management, EDRs can be mined to report on prevalence of non-communicable medical conditions among patients/population receiving dental care. Completeness and accuracy of entered information will significantly improve the usefulness of EDR for disease surveillance and research applications.