May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month--California Dental Hygienists Association Joins NHLBI Mission to Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure

April 26, 2004 - A growing number of organizations are joining together to increase public awareness of high blood pressure and promote improved prevention and control. CDHA President, Maureen Titus, RDH, BS signed a proclamation declaring May 2004 National High Blood Pressure Education Month.

High blood pressure affects an estimated 50 million Americans - more than 1 in every 4 adults - and if not effectively treated, leads to millions of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure cases each year. Its economic cost to the nation exceeds $100 billion each year.

According to C. Austin Risbeck, RDH, president and founder of Dental Hygienists Against Heart Disease, "High blood pressure is a major public health problem in the United States, and National High Blood Pressure Education Month provides a perfect opportunity to improve local understanding of the burden it places on all of us. By joining together with others concerned about high blood pressure throughout the country, we feel that we can help relieve this burden.”

“Dental hygienists should include blood pressure screening as part of the dental hygiene appointment. Blood pressure screening is an important service that dental hygienists can provide, since 30 percent of the public are unaware they have hypertension, and 70 percent of those affected do not have it under control.”

“The new classification of prehypertension, affects 22 percent of the adult population. Blood pressure screening may establish the presence of hypertension, as well as hypertension control. Dental hygienists can refer those at risk for hypertension to an appropriate medical provider for further evaluation.”

National High Blood Pressure Education Month is an annual event coordinated by the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

According to NHLBI Director Dr. Barbara Alving, "There is no question that the national effort to prevent, detect, and control high blood pressure is succeeding. But there is still a long way to go. National High Blood Pressure Education Month is a time to celebrate our successes and re-dedicate ourselves to increasing awareness of high blood pressure, its health and economic costs to our country, and the need for all of us to take action to prevent and control it."

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and the chief risk factor for stroke and heart failure; it also can lead to kidney damage. Treatment seeks to lower blood pressure to less than 140 mm Hg systolic and less than 90 mm Hg diastolic for most persons with hypertension (less than 130 systolic and less than 80 diastolic for those with diabetes and chronic kidney disease).

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