Correlation between Levels of Sulcular and Capillary Blood Glucose

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between capillary blood glucose levels (CBGLs) and sulcular blood glucose levels (SBGLs) using blood obtained from gingival tissue during routine periodontal examinations to determine if sulcular blood samples can be used as a non-invasive means to diagnosis blood glucose levels. Methods and Materials Thirty non-diabetics and 30 diabetic patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were included in the study and subjected to routine clinical periodontal examinations. Blood was collected using a 1.6-1.8 mm diameter micro bite collection tube to transport the sample from the gingival sulci of anterior teeth following periodontal pocket probing to a test strip of a glucose self-monitoring device. As a control, capillary blood was taken with a finger-stick. Statistical analysis was performed using the Pearson's correlation coefficient and a t-test. Results The blood glucose levels in patients ranged from 58 mg/dl to 477 mg/dl, and the values of blood samples taken from gingival sulcus or finger tip of the same patient showed a very high intra-patient correlation (r =0.99, p< 0.0001). Conclusion The results of this study suggest sulcular blood from a routine periodontal examination may be used for diabetes mellitus screening. Clinical Significance Considering 50% of diabetics remain undiagnosed, testing sulcular blood may provide a suitable method for identifying potential diabetic patients during routine dental visits since there is a correlation with capillary blood. Appropriate referrals to a physician can then be made when warranted. Citation Ardakani MRT, Moeintaghavi A, Haerian A, Ardakani MA, Hashemzadeh M. Correlation between Levels of Sulcular and Capillary Blood Glucose. J Contemp Dent Pract 2009 March; (10)2:010-017.

The reliability of using gingival crevicular blood to measure blood glucose and hba1c levels in the dental setting: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The included articles were published between 1993 and 2023. The majority of the literature is from India with 13 studies [ 13 , 25 – 35 ], two from Kuwait [ 36 , 37 ] and the USA [ 38 , 39 ], and one from China [ 14 ], Italy [ 12 ], Pakistan [ 40 ], Jordan [ 41 ], Germany [ 42 ] and Iran [ 43 ] respectively. All in all, the studies included 1680 mostly middle-aged patients with an average age of 44.4 and with a roughly equal distribution of sex with slightly more females (51%).…”

“…16 studies have reported their outcomes in mg/dl while two in mmol/l which were converted to mg/dl by the authors. The highest and lowest mean values recorded from GCB was 243.27 and 156.07 mg/dl in the DM group and 118.76 and 90.08 mg/dl in the non-DM group respectively [ 12 , 25 – 35 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 43 – 45 ]. Two of the studies have found statistically significant differences between GCB and CB values ( p = 0.001) [ 33 , 37 ].…”