Local residents can now get their smile and their heart health checked, all in one appointment. Thanks to an innovative NHS initiative, 12 dental practices across Basildon, Brentwood and mid Essex are now offering free blood pressure checks to patients over 40 who haven’t had one in the past year.
With an estimated 88,000 people in the region living with undiagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension), the new initiative from NHS Mid and South Essex aims to catch hidden cases of high blood pressure – a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and other serious conditions – before they become life-threatening.
Patients attending a dental appointment at one of the participating practices will be offered a free blood pressure check if they are over 40 years and haven’t had a check in the last year. The practices are located in areas across mid Essex where data shows the highest levels of undiagnosed hypertension.
The blood pressure checks are simple and quick. Dental staff will take two readings using blood pressure monitors provided through the pilot, and anyone with high readings will receive information and guidance for further testing.
Offering blood pressure checks as part of routine dental appointments could help save lives and prevent future heart attacks or strokes. It’s a small action that could make a positive difference.
– Dr Sophia Morris, oral health expert and clinical lead for Health Inequalities at NHS Mid and South Essex
We know that people have busy lives. It might not feel like an urgent priority to get a blood pressure check as our patients may think they are completely healthy. However high blood pressure is an ‘invisible danger’ that has no symptoms. So 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.
– Kayleigh Gleed, Practice Manager and Dental Nurse at the Essex Dental Clinic in Earls Colne
Heart attacks, strokes, and vascular dementia are among the potentially life-threatening conditions that undiagnosed high blood pressure can lead to. High blood pressure doesn’t usually have any symptoms so having your blood pressure checked regularly is a simple way to reduce your risk of developing these conditions.
There are many factors which increase your risk of high blood pressure, such as being overweight, eating too much salt and not eating enough fruit and vegetables, not doing enough exercise, smoking, drinking too much alcohol or experiencing a lot of stress. People who are Black or South Asian are also more likely to be at risk from high blood pressure.
Residents over 40 years who have not had a blood pressure check in the last five years or have a family history of high blood pressure, can also visit local pharmacies across mid and south Essex to get a free NHS blood pressure check.
For more information about blood pressure and your health, speak to your pharmacist or GP or visit the our blood pressure webpages:
Managing Your Blood Pressure