Dentists Can Help Screen for Diabetes
Dentists Can Help Screen for Diabetes – A routine cleaning at your dentist may help with an early diagnosis of diabetes and help people get treated sooner, say researchers.
Researcheres found that dentists can use the blood that appears on the gums during a routine cleaning to test for diabetes and the test can be as accurate as blood drawn from pricking the finger with a needle.
In The study, researchers looked at people who said their gums bled when brushing and flossing. They tested the blood of 408 participants from dental clinics in New York City for diabetes. The team also made sure they selected participants who appeared to be at a greater risk for diabetes, such as age, obesity, and family history. They then compared the results from the oral test and finger-prick results and found that they matched 97.8% in tests that were positive for diabetes, 92.9 percent in cases of prediabetes, and 99.1% in cases with no diabetes.
Lead researcher, Sheila Strauss admits that since the participants were carefully selected based on the diabetes risk, and not randomly selected, the results may not apply to the general population, but on the other hand, oral health problems like bleeding gums or periodontis are usually common among diabetics, which also helps in the diagnosis.
Though more research is needed to confirm the efficacy of these screenings, dental screenings can be a great way to help identify undiagnosed diabetes patients and get them treatment sooner. It can also help those who don’t visit their doctors regularly but do visit their dentists regularly.
Category: News
