A large study led by researchers from the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) on the strong connection between gum disease and diabetes, found that routine dental visits could play a crucial role in identifying undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, particularly in Asian populations.

Published in Nov 2024 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the study titled “Identifying Undiagnosed Diabetes and Prediabetes in the Dental Setting in an Asian Population—A Clinical Risk Model” assessed over 1,000 patients at NDCS and found that nearly 1 in 7 had undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes.

The research team led by Dr Chee Hoe Kit, Senior Consultant with the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Periodontics Unit at NDCS, developed a clinical risk model that combines common health indicators – body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes, smoking status and an oral health diagnosis – severe periodontitis, —to help dental professionals identify patients who are at high risk of diabetes or prediabetes.

Key findings from the study:

1. About 1 in 7 people seeking dental care may unknowingly have prediabetes or diabetes.

2. The study, one of the largest of its kind in Asia, was conducted between May 2016 and October 2019, which examined 1,074 patients aged 21 and above.

3. Of the participants:

• 6.1% (65) of the periodontal disease patients were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
• 7.7% (83) were found to be prediabetic

4. Patients with Stage III/IV periodontitis, high BMI, a family history of diabetes, and smoking habits were significantly at risk of undiagnosed diabetes.

5. The addition of oral health indicator to traditional risk factors improved the accuracy of diabetes risk prediction.

View the feature on Channel NewsAsia, at 26:16 of this clip: https://for.sg/periodontitis-and-diabetes