Blood pressure fluctuations in hypertensive patients during oral surgery

The lability of blood pressure during oral surgical procedures and the effects of antihypertensive drugs on this lability have not been investigated sufficiently to evaluate potential medical risks. The purpose of this study was to accurately evaluate blood pressure fluctuations during oral surgical procedures in three groups of patients: normotensive patients; stratum I hypertensive patients not taking medication; and stratum I hypertensive patients taking antihypertensive medication. Blood pressure measurements were recorded by an American Heart Association certified technician at baseline, immediately prior to surgery, during administration of the local anesthetic, during the surgical procedure, and 15 minutes after surgery. Analysis of variance indicated that the blood pressure fluctuations (systolic and diastolic) among these five intervals were not statistically significant for any of the groups. The clinical significance of the above findings is that stratum I hypertensive patients experience minimal fluctuations in blood pressure that are no greater than those in normotensive patients and, therefore, may present no greater clinical risk during the dental stress associated with certain oral surgical procedures.