Burden of Systemic Diseases and Associated Factors Among Dental Outpatients in a Routine Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background : Systemic diseases are common among dental patients and may directly affect treatment planning, patient safety, and clinical outcomes. Dental outpatient settings may also provide an accessible opportunity to identify the burden of chronic conditions in routine care. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and distribution of systemic diseases among dental outpatients and to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with systemic disease status. Methods : This cross-sectional study included 15,002 patients aged 15 years and older who attended a university-based dental outpatient clinic between January and December 2022. Demographic characteristics, medical anamnesis records, and medication histories were obtained from the digital patient management system. Associations were examined using chi-square tests, and independent predictors were evaluated using multivariable binary logistic regression. A sensitivity analysis was also performed using a revised outcome that excluded psychiatric disorders from the composite systemic disease variable. Results: At least one systemic disease was recorded in 25.1% of patients. Hypertension (8.5%), diabetes mellitus (6.8%), and cardiovascular diseases (5.8%) were the most common conditions. The prevalence of systemic disease increased markedly with age, reaching 67.6% among patients aged 60 years and older. In multivariable analysis, older age, female sex, and psychiatric disorder status were independently associated with systemic disease, whereas smoking did not show an independent association. In the sensitivity analysis excluding psychiatric disorders from the outcome, older age remained the strongest predictor of systemic disease, female sex remained significantly associated, and psychiatric disorder status continued to show an independent association, although with a substantially attenuated effect size. Conclusions: A considerable proportion of dental outpatients had at least one systemic disease, with the burden concentrated in older adults and other clinically vulnerable groups. These findings highlight the value of routine medical anamnesis in dental settings and support the role of oral healthcare services in identifying medically at-risk patients and contributing to more integrated care.