Dental Professionals Can Detect Undiagnosed Diabetes in Patients
Dental Professionals Can Detect Undiagnosed Diabetes in Patients A study conducted by researchers from New York’s Columbia University College of Dental Medicine is yet another indicator that oral health care professionals may be able to identify adult patients with undiagnosed
Dental Professionals Can Detect Undiagnosed Diabetes in Patients
A study conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine in New York is yet another indicator that oral health care professionals may be able to identify adult patients with undiagnosed diabetes. The research, published in the July issue of the Journal of Dental Research, highlights the crucial role dental professionals can play in screening patients for undiagnosed diabetes.
“Periodontal diseases are an early complication of diabetes,” notes Ira Lamster, DDS, MMSc, dean of the College of Dental Medicine and the study’s senior author. Because 70% of the United States population makes an annual visit to the dentist, the dental profession is uniquely positioned to help address the diabetes epidemic, he adds.
Supported by a Colgate-Palmolive research grant, the study assessed 530 patients who were deemed at risk of developing diabetes. The subjects consisted of non-Hispanic whites aged 40 years or older, and Hispanic and non-whites aged 30 years or older. In addition, all subjects presented with at least one self-reported risk of diabetes (family history of diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, or overweight/obese), but had never been diagnosed with the disease themselves.
Researchers performed a periodontal examination and a hemoglobin A1c blood sugar test, and scheduled a fasting plasma glucose test that was performed at a later date. Results from this at-risk group confirmed that a simple, two-parameter algorithm (number of missing teeth and percentage of deep periodontal pockets) was helpful in identifying patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes. What’s more, the addition of the A1c test significantly improved researchers’ ability to identify the condition in previously undiagnosed patients.
“Early recognition of diabetes has been the focus of efforts from medical and public health colleagues for years,” reports Evanthia Lalla, DDS, associate professor at the College of Dental Medicine, and the lead author of the study. “Our findings provide a simple approach that can be easily used in all dental care settings.”
