Heart Rate Variability in Dentistry

Obesity is the common disorder associated with comorbidities which is prevalent globally. It predominantly affects the autonomic nervous system. Obese individuals have hemodynamic instability where they may require special attention, especially when they are undergoing a dental procedure. An imbalance in sympathetic and parasympathetic activation may take place during dental procedures which might lead to severe complications. Clinical examination such as measuring blood pressure, pulse rate, and detailed history of the patient is necessary to rule out cardiovascular diseases in obese individuals who are attending the dental OP. Heart rate v ariability (HRV) is a noninvasive, cheap, and easily available method to analyze the cardiac function. Hence, it is necessary for the dentist to acquire the knowledge about HRVassessment in obesity to provide the potential and safe treatment to the patient. In this review, we emphasize the effect of obesity on heart function using HRV which may be effective in the field of dentistry.