Cost-effectiveness of diabetes screening initiated through a dental visit

To analyse the cost-effectiveness of a screening programme and follow-up interventions for persons with dysglycemia who are identified during a dental visit.

This study is a secondary analysis utilizing data from two relevant publications. Those studies identified persons with dysglycemia who were seen in a dental school clinic for routine dental care and determined compliance with a recommendation to seek medical care. The response site was 59.4%. The Archimedes disease simulation model was utilized to simulate the effect of a weight loss programme for identified subjects on several outcomes.

Two scenarios for weight loss programmes were considered: a 10% permanent loss in body weight and a 10% loss that decays over time. Both diabetes and prediabetes were analysed. The decay path costs $21 243 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) with 3 years required to achieve the weight reduction. This cost decreases to $6655 if only 1 year is needed to achieve the weight goal. Without decay, the cost per QALY is $15 873 with 20 years of intervention, vs $647 per QALY with 10 years of intervention. For individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the cost per QALY is $48 604 to $56 207 depending on adherence. With the addition of oral medication (a sulfonylurea), the cost is three times higher.

Under the conditions described here, identification of persons with dysglycemia in the dental office for initiating prediabetic care is a cost-effective means of identifying and treating affected individuals.