Dentists may be able to help spot undiagnosed diabetes or identify people with pre-diabetes. Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes. Prior research focused on the identification of strategies relevant to medical settings. Oral healthcare settings have not been evaluated before, nor have the contributions of oral findings ever been tested prospectively, reported Health News. Researchers from the University of New York recruited 601 people visiting a dental clinic who had never been told they had diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Of that group, roughly 530 patients reported having at least one risk factor for the disease, such as high blood pressure or obesity. The patients were given a periodontal examination and blood tests to evaluate for diabetes. The researchers found that just the number of missing teeth and the percentage of deep periodontal pockets might be effective in identifying people with unrecognised pre-diabetes or diabetes. Since one in four of any developed country with type 2 diabetes remains undiagnosed and those with pre-diabetes are at risk for type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease, stroke and other vascular problems , the findings could provide a relatively simple way to help fight the diabetes epidemic.
