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Geriatrics Expert Named
dental research
| Dental Exam Can
Be Crucial in
Finding Diabetes College of Dental Medicine and Mailman School of Public Health researchers have found that the dental exam may play a key role in diabetes diagnosis. “Diabetes has a reciprocal relationship with periodontal disease, the most common oral disease in adults. Adults with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease, and those with periodontal disease are more likely to have their diabetes out of control,” says Luisa N. Borrell, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School and dentistry at CDM. The authors suggest using a combination of patient-derived information, (demographic, family history of diabetes, and self-reported hypertension and hypercholesterolemia), and findings from a periodontal examination (pocket depth or level of clinical attachment) to assess the patient’s risk for diabetes. According to the American Dental Association, 60 percent of Americans have at least one dental check-up annually, so if dentists are able to identify patients at risk for the disease, they could refer them to a physician for diagnostic testing and appropriate treatment. By doing so, dentists could make a positive impact on public health. Not only has the prevalence of diabetes in the United States increased steadily over the past 15 years, but evidence suggests that about 30 percent of such cases remain undiagnosed. “A couple of important trends in the U.S. population are going to force dentists and other oral health care personnel to play an active role in improving the health of the population,” Dr. Borrell says, citing increased diversity, aging, tooth retention, and the emerging link between oral disease and systemic conditions as examples. Borrell LN, Kunzel C, Lamster IB, Lalla E. Diabetes in the Dental Office: Using NHANES III to estimate the probability of undiagnosed disease. J Periodont Res 2007; 42: 559-565 This research was conducted with support from grants from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program. |
