Developing a chair side, safe and non-invasive procedure for assessment of blood glucose level using gingival crevicular bleeding in dental clinics

Aim: To study the accessibility of chair side blood glucose non-invasive screening method for diabetes mellitus during routine periodontal examination.

Materials and methods: Fifteen non-diabetics and 15 newly onset type 2 diabetics patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were selected after meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria. Periodontal pocket probing was performed using a Williams Graduated periodontal probe. Blood oozing from gingival sulcus of anterior teeth following periodontal pocket probing was collected with stick of a glucose self-monitoring device. As control, finger stick capillary blood was taken.

Results: A statistically significant correlation was observed between the blood glucose level of gingival crevicular blood (GCB) and peripheral fasting blood (PFB) of diabetic subjects. The mean GCB glucose level of the subjects in diabetic group was 172.27 ± 5.02 mg/dl while mean PFB glucose was 167.80 ± 8.87 mg/dl. The correlation coefficient of diabetic and non-diabetic subjects were r = +0.715 and r = +0.619, respectively.

Conclusion: The results suggested that blood oozing during routine periodontal examination may be used for diabetic mellitus screening in a dental office setting without the need for any extra procedure.