Routine blood sugar testing in dental offices is beneficial and could improve the diagnosis and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a recent study in the March 2012 edition of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

Type 2 diabetes has been increasing at epidemic rates. More than 12 percent of the U.S. population has the disease, making it one of the most common and costly chronic conditions. In addition, prediabetes – a condition that occurs when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but are not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes – affects approximately 54 million people in the United States. Detecting these conditions and treating them are major public health objectives according to Winthrop’s Chairman of Dental Medicine, Andrei Barasch, DMD, MDSc, who served as the lead researcher of the study, “Random Blood Glucose Testing in Dental Practice.”

“Diabetes is clearly on the rise,” said Alan M. Jacobson, MD, Chief Research Officer at Winthrop-University Hospital, “and Type 2 diabetes is often an asymptomatic disease. Screening is a critical way of identifying people with, or at risk for, diabetes.” Dr. Jacobson added, “Many people do not go for regular medical screenings, but they may