Peter Rhodes on blood pressure, lifeboats and the joys of memory lane
One of the many strange things about the NHS is that they test your blood pressure before an operation but not before a filling at the dentist's.
An article in the British Dental Journal suggests it's time for dentists to offer BP tests. A pilot study in Wales revealed three-quarters of patients had high BP. Hardly surprising, is it?
Doctors are familiar with a spike in patients' BP triggered by medical surroundings, the so-called “white-coat syndrome”.
If a GP surgery can send your BP soaring, what will happen at the dentist's? You can almost feel your blood pressure rising the moment you enter the dental surgery and hear the whistle of the drill. I dare say reading this item may have the same effect. My apologies.
