Anaesthesiological risk assessment in young/adult and elderly dental patients

Objective: Analysing the differences in number of diseases reported, medicines taken and American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) scores in young/adult and elderly dental patients. Subject: Forty‐seven young/adult and 47 elderly dental patients living in the community. Setting: Private dental practice. Main outcome measures: Age, number of systemic diseases reported during anamnesis, number of medicines taken, seriousness of pre‐existent diseases measured according to the ASA (American Society of Anaesthesiologist) scale. Study design: Analytical study. Results: The differences between young/adult and elderly dental patients as far as self‐reported medical conditions, medicines taken and ASA scores were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The number of elderly patients’ medical conditions are greater than young/adults’. It is therefore necessary to adequately assess the elderly patient before starting any dental treatment.