Dental patient reaction to electrocardiogram screening

Blood pressure response to routine restorative dental treatment with and without local anesthesia. Continuous noninvasive blood pressure registration with a finger manometer

A continuous noninvasive blood pressure registration with the Finapres finger manometer was carried out during routine dental treatment, with and without local anesthesia. Forty patients (21 male), 21 to 64 years of age, were studied. Blood pressure was recorded continuously from 10 minutes before dental treatment to 10 minutes after treatment was completed. No local anesthetic was used in 25 patients. In 15 patients (seven men) local anesthetic was used. All patients showed a considerable blood pressure variation. During treatment a significant mean blood pressure increase was registered in the patients treated without local anesthesia. In the patients treated with local anesthesia no significant mean blood pressure changes during dental treatment could be established. However, during the actual administration of the local anesthetic solution a transient blood pressure increase was found, followed by a decrease shortly after removal of the needle from the mouth. After treatment of both groups of patients, a mean blood pressure decrease was established.