Blood Glucose Screening in Patients With Advanced Periodontits: the Role of Specialist Periodontal Care in Identifying Hyperglycaemia and Supporting Patient Centered Treatment

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Selective screening of blood glucose/HbA1c: Selective screening for hyperglycaemia in dental setting is a new routine that has not been introduced in Folktandvården Stockholm.

Study summary

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease and individuals with advanced periodontitis have an increased risk of hyperglycaemia. Bacterial plaque, smoking and elevated blood glucose levels are considered key modifiable risk factors for periodontal disease progression. Conventional periodontal care aims to remove and control bacterial deposits and to smoking cessation. Despite the bidirectional relationship, where periodontitis may also contribute to impaired glycaemic control, glycaemic status is rarely niether assessed nor adressed in dental care.

The aim of this project is to implement and evaluate routine blood glucose testing as part of the periodontal examination in specialist dental care. Patients diagnosed with advanced periodontitis (Stage III or IV according to the current classification) will be offered capillary blood glucose testing during their periodontal assessment.

The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of hyperglycaemia among patients with advanced periodontitis and to evaluate clinician-reported and patient-reported experiences of routine blood glucose testing as part of the periodontal assesment in specialist periodontal care.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• HbA1c mmol/mol — The bloodsampling is done chair-side and is analysed immediatley with a Point-of-Care device meaning the procedure is limited to maximum 5 minutes.
  The primary outcome measure is HbA1c expressed in mmol/mol, analyzed as a continuous variable and categorized according to established clinical thresholds. Descriptive statistical analyses are used to summarize HbA1c distributions and prevalence estimates in relation to periodontal characteristics.

Trial sites (1)

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