Blood pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of blood vessels.

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Blood pressure is the force that circulating blood exerts on the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps. This definition captures the idea that pressure results from the heart’s pumping action and the resistance the vessels offer as blood travels through them. The other ideas relate to different aspects of circulation but not to the pressure on vessel walls: oxygen content describes how much oxygen is carried in the blood, heart rate describes how often the heart beats per minute, and temperature is a separate bodily measure not defining pressure. Understanding this helps you interpret why blood pressure matters for dental care, since abnormally high or low pressures can affect how a patient tolerates procedures and anesthesia.