Effective and Affordable Method of Screening for Diabetes Mellitus Using Gingival Crevicular Blood

ABSTRACT

The increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity due to population growth, aging, urbanization has prompted the rise in the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM). Diabetes has emerged as a major healthcare problem in India. About half of the diabetic patients are undiagnosed, as diabetes mellitus is asymptomatic in its early stages. Diabetes and periodontitis interact in a bidirectional manner. Therefore, there is a need to screen patients for diabetes in dental clinics. Glucometers are reliable, rapid, and commonly used for blood glucose determination in diabetes screening. Routine oral examination of patients with periodontal inflammation with or without diabetes produce ample bleeding, which can be used in glucometers for screening DM. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to assess if gingival crevicular blood (GCB) is as efficient as capillary finger prick technique in estimating the glycemic status. Methods: A total of 48 patients participated in the clinical study. All of them were seeking dental check-up or treatment at Department of Periodontology, Government Dental College, Jammu. Probing was done until a sufficient amount of blood appeared in the gingival crevice. Accu -Check Instant S Meter, Roche Diabetes Care India Pvt Ltd. Results: The Gingival crevicular blood(GCB), Capillary finger prick blood (CFB) glucose value ranged between 82 and 299 mg/dl with mean value being 145.25±38.12 and the CFB glucose value ranged between 83 and 289 with a mean value of 138.88±51.243. Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed a positive correla¬tion between GCB and CFB. Conclusion: It is be concluded that GCB may serve as a potential source for screening of blood glucose during routine periodontal examination in populations with an unknown history of DM. Thus, with minimal cost and time investment dental professionals can play a critical role in diagnosis of DM.