Key result
Dental office screening identifies uncontrolled blood pressure in ~54% of patients with hypertension.
Why the study?
Elevated dental office BP among people with diagnosed hypertension represents a major, reversible gap in care, prompting an estimate of the pooled prevalence of uncontrolled BP in dental settings and its between-study variability.
Meta-Analysis (n=1,083)
Yes
Roughly half of patients with known or treated hypertension exhibit elevated blood pressure during dental visits, though wide between-setting variability highlights the need for repeat measurement and primary care referral rather than immediate diagnosis of uncontrolled hypertension.
Dental visits may detect uncontrolled BP in many treated patients; leaves open whether systematic screening alters management or outcomes.
Background: Elevated dental office blood pressure (BP) among people with diagnosed hypertension represents a major, reversible gap in care. We estimated the pooled prevalence of dental office BP meeting an uncontrolled threshold among people with diagnosed or treated hypertension and characterized between-study variability.Methods: We searched 10 databases and registers on May 27, 2026. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using the JBI checklist for prevalence studies. Prevalence was pooled using a random-effects generalized linear mixed model with a logit link.Results: Thirteen studies from 10 countries included 1,083 people with diagnosed or treated hypertension. The pooled prevalence was 53.7% (95% confidence interval, 39.6%–67.3%), with considerable heterogeneity (I2=94%) and a wide 95% prediction interval (13.6%–89.6%). Subgroup estimates were 56.5% for ascertainment by prior diagnosis/history and 48.6% for current antihypertensive treatment (P for difference=0.480); with only 13 studies, this nonsignificant difference does not establish equivalence. Ascertainment basis did not meaningfully explain heterogeneity. Findings were robust to leave-one-out analysis and exclusion of high-risk studies, with no statistical evidence of small-study asymmetry. The overall certainty of evidence was very low.Conclusions: Given the wide variation between settings, the prediction interval is more informative than a single summary figure such as “one in two.” A single elevated dental office BP reading warrants repeat measurement and referral to primary care; it does not confirm uncontrolled hypertension. Dental visits may provide an underused opportunity for BP measurement and referral within the hypertension care cascade.
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Rao et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in Diagnosed or treated hypertension (n=1,083). Dental office blood pressure screening was evaluated on Pooled prevalence of dental office blood pressure meeting an uncontrolled threshold (Prevalence 53.7%, 95% CI 39.6%–67.3%). Dental office blood pressure screening identified uncontrolled blood pressure in a pooled 53.7% (95% CI 39.6%–67.3%) of patients with diagnosed or treated hypertension.
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