Gingival Crevicular Blood Glucose Detection: Screening for Diabetes in the Dental OPD

Abstract

The key to successful management of any disease is its timely screening and diagnosis. Undetected and uncontrolled diabetes increases the chances of oral diseases, especially periodontitis. Chronic periodontitis and diabetes are two mutually related pathologies and are known to aggravate each other’s pathological effect. Since diabetes acts as an important risk factor for periodontal inflammation, it is essential to screen blood glucose levels to detect diabetes in patients presenting with chronic periodontitis. Periodontal inflammation produces ample gingival bleeding (gingival crevicular blood: GCB) during examination by the periodontal probe, which could be utilized to evaluate blood glucose levels and glycemic control at the dental office. Early screening and diagnosis of diabetes intervenes in the long-term complications of both the diseases and helps in better disease management. The objective of this review was to highlight the reliability and acceptability of different techniques using gingival crevicular blood for evaluation of blood glucose levels along with their advantages and limitations. By this literature review, we analysed over 60 studies published regarding the use of gingival crevicular blood for screening diabetes in periodontitis patients. The data was gathered via Google scholar and Medline using the keywords “Periodontitis, Inflammation, Glycemic control, Diabetes, Gingival crevicular blood” from the years 1993-2019.

Keywords: Periodontitis; Inflammation; Glycemic Control; Diabetes; Gingival Crevicular Blood.