Dentists urged to look for cardiac risk (Sweden)

"Dentists can play key roles in identifying people at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them for further evaluation, doctors in Sweden suggest. Dentists are encouraged to use HeartScore, a computerized system that calculates the risk of a person dying of a heart attack within a 10-year period, the European Society of Cardiology said in a release Thursday. HeartScore measures cardiovascular disease risk in people ages 40-65 by factoring the person's age, sex, blood pressure and smoking status. People with HeartScores of 10 percent or higher, meaning they had at least a 10-percent risk of having a fatal heart attack or stroke within a 10-year period, were told by dentists to see a doctor about their condition. Using HeartScore, which was tested in Sweden, dentists can identify patients who are unaware they need medical intervention, the American Dental Association said in a release Thursday. Dentists "may find themselves in an opportune position to enhance the overall health and well-being of their patients," the association said" - UPI