DT News - UK - Blood pressure checks begin at Essex NHS dental clinics

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 22 May 2025

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CHELMSFORD, England: The public-facing nature of dentistry has led to clinicians becoming increasingly involved in caring for patients’ systemic health, including by providing information and advice related to smoking cessation, diet and oral cancer. As part of a National Health Service (NHS) pilot programme targeting undiagnosed hypertension, dental teams at strategically chosen clinics in Mid and South Essex have begun providing patients with blood pressure monitoring during routine dental appointments.

The NHS announced the scheme late last year, enlisting staff at dental clinics and optometry practices to provide blood pressure monitoring. It aims to deliver over 100,000 blood pressure tests at 60 dental clinics throughout England. The programme was trialled at dental clinics in Humber and North Yorkshire, where some 10% of patients tested were found to have high blood pressure. The programme builds on the success of the ongoing NHS community pharmacy blood pressure monitoring, which delivered more than one million tests in 2023.

“These convenient checks at dentists and optometrists will enable thousands of people to monitor their blood pressure and could potentially be life-saving,” Helen Williams, NHS national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention, commented in a press release at the time.

A total of 12 clinics in Basildon, Brentwood and Mid Essex are participating in the programme, and the region was chosen for its high rate of undiagnosed hypertension. According to the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System, an estimated 88,000 people in the region have undiagnosed hypertension, and participating practices are in areas with the highest number of estimated cases. The checks are being offered to patients aged over 40 years who have not had a blood pressure test in the last 12 months.

Dental nurse Kayleigh Gleed, practice manager at the participating Essex Dental Clinic in Earls Colne, told local newspaper the Braintree and Witham Times that offering the checks during routine appointments provided an opportunity to prioritise heart health amid increasingly busy schedules. “Being able to offer our patients a blood pressure check at the same time as their dental check-up is an easy way for them to ‘take a sec to check’ and get vital information about their heart’s health,” Gleed said.

Topics:

Public Health Dentistry

Tags:

Blood pressure Dental appointments Hypertension NHS dentistry Prevention Public health Systemic health

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