Study at NYU successfully screens for diabetes at dental visits using oral blood
New research places estimates that over a quarter of people who suffer from diabetes are undiagnosed, and that many who are living with diabetes have poor glycaemic control. While many people regularly go for their dental check-up, be it every six months, twelve months or longer, they less commonly go to the doctor, usually only visiting a GP if a problem presents itself. As such, it has been suggested that dental visits may be a prime opportunity to screen patients for diabetes, and help monitor glucose control for those at risk of the condition.
A study at New York University has found a 99% correlation between tests for haemoglobin A1c at dental visits, using oral blood and finger stick. Published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers have confirmed that using gingival crevicular blood (GCB) for haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing produced values that were nearly identical to those obtained using finger stick blood (FSB), with a correlation of .991 between the two blood samples of 408 dental patients.
The study, entitled The Potential for Glycemic Control Monitoring and Screening for Diabetes at Dental Visits Using Oral Blood, is based on an earlier study, in which the possibility of using oral blood to screen for diabetes during a routine dental exam and its acceptability to patients and dental providers was established.
While those at risk from diabetes who were never told they had the condition may benefit from additional opportunities for diabetes screening, Dr. Shiela Strauss, associate professor of nursing and co-director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU’s Colleges of Nursing and Dentistry, and the study’s principal investigator, found that participants who were at least forty-five years old in particular may benefit from diabetes screening at dental visits. Strauss and her team also noted that HbA1c testing at dental visits could be used as an additional opportunity to regulate the extent of glycaemic control among those already diagnosed.
Dr Strauss stated that the findings of the study meant that visiting dentists could be a useful opportunity to screen for diabetes in patients who are at risk and undiagnosed. She also talked about the significance of the study in regards to public health as it identifies the importance of visiting dentists in order to screen for undiagnosed diabetes and monitor glycaemic control in already diagnosed patients to help them maintain their health as much as possible.
