Point-of-care glycemia testing in a safety-net dental care setting: A feasibility study

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of screening at-risk adult dental patients for abnormal blood glucose levels by means of using a chairside finger-stick test that measures glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) levels.

A total of 260 high-risk adult patients, as classified by the American Diabetes Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Prediabetes Risk Test, with no history of diabetes received a chairside HbA_1c finger-stick test. Descriptive statistics and χ² and Fisher exact tests were used to examine associations of HbA_1c levels with risk scores and study participants' characteristics.

Results of chairside testing indicated that 34.2% had undiagnosed prediabetes and 6.6% had undiagnosed diabetes. Results of the postprocedure questionnaire showed high levels of acceptance and satisfaction with the testing. At 6 months after testing, 64.6% of patients with dysglycemia had consulted their primary care provider for follow-up.

Dental care professionals are in a unique position to collaborate with physicians and other health care providers in the identification of undiagnosed prediabetes and diabetes. Targeted chairside diabetes testing in the oral health care setting for high-risk patients is a viable public health primary preventive measure.

Screening is pivotal for the early detection, prevention, and management of diabetes, and the dental care setting, where chairside testing is a viable strategy, may be an important venue in confronting the diabetes epidemic.