Diabetes Screening in Dental Practice Using the Find-Risk Questionnaire - A Practice-based Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Public health
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing public health concern.
• Dental settings offer a unique opportunity for opportunistic health screenings.
• Early detection of DM and pre-diabetes is crucial for effective management and prevention of complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Find-Risk (FR) questionnaire for screening diabetes mellitus in a dental practice setting.
• To assess the sensitivity and specificity of the FR questionnaire, including a modified version, for DM detection.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 116 patients in a private dental practice.
• Utilized the Find-Risk (FR) questionnaire for initial diabetes screening.
• Referred FR-positive patients for diabetological diagnostics; assessed dental findings including DMFT and periodontal status.

Main Results:

• Out of 102 included patients, 36 were FR-positive, including 7 with known DM.
• The FR questionnaire achieved 100% sensitivity for DM screening, with or without modification.
• A modified FR questionnaire demonstrated improved specificity (80% vs. 69.5%).

Conclusions:

• Diabetes mellitus screening using the FR questionnaire is feasible in dental practices.
• This approach can assist in identifying individuals with (pre-)diabetes.
• Further validation in larger patient cohorts is recommended.