Identifying Undiagnosed Diabetes and Prediabetes in the Dental Setting in an Asian Population—A Clinical Risk Model
(Journal of Clinical Periodontology; doi: 10.1111/jcpe.14090)
Hoe Kit Chee, Frank Abbas, Arie Jan van Winkelhoff, Geerten Has Tjakkes, Hla Myint Htoon, Huihua Li, Yvonne de Waal, Arjan Vissink, Chaminda Jayampath Seneviratne
Some people have raised blood glucose without knowing it. Researchers explored whether a dental appointment could provide an opportunity to identify people who might benefit from medical testing.
At a specialist dental centre in Singapore, 1,074 adults without a previous diabetes diagnosis completed risk questions, had gum examinations and received finger-prick HbA1c testing. People with raised results were referred for further medical assessment.
The study identified 65 people with diabetes and 83 with prediabetes.
Severe gum disease was more common in those with diabetes.
Combining gum findings with factors such as body size, family history and smoking helped identify higher-risk patients, but the blood test performed better than the clinical risk models.
11 people with raised screening results did not complete follow-up.
Your dental team may be able to notice risk factors and suggest a discussion with your GP.
Gum disease alone does not diagnose diabetes, and a reassuring dental examination does not rule it out.
The proposed scoring models also need testing in new populations before being widely used.
The important distinction is between identifying a reason for further testing and confirming a medical diagnosis through an appropriate assessment.
An experimental test can look promising in a carefully selected research sample but perform less well in everyday practice. It needs checking in independent groups, including people with other conditions that could affect the result.
Researchers must also establish how often it misses disease or incorrectly suggests disease is present. Even good statistical performance does not automatically mean that using the test improves health.
Until those questions are answered, these findings should be understood as test-development research rather than a replacement for established clinical assessment.
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Periodontitis is the 6th most prevalent condition globally
Periodontitis and diabetes are bidirectionally linked
Diabetic complications are increased if you have both diseases
Successful periodontal treatment can improve blood glucose control
Periodontitis is the 6th most prevalent condition globally
Periodontitis and diabetes are bidirectionally linked
Diabetic complications are increased if you have both diseases
Successful periodontal treatment can improve blood glucose control
