The PODD Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The PODD Study: The PeriOdontal Disease and Diabetes Study: An opportunistic screening study
IRAS ID
151259
Contact name
Melanie Davies
Contact email
Research summary
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a serious chronic disease which affects approximately 285million people worldwide, it has also been estimated that 850,000 people in the UK have diabetes who have not been diagnosed. People with T2DM are three times more likely to have dental health problems than those without. Dental health problems include gum inflammation, infection and inflammation of the ligaments and bone that support the teeth (periodontitis), tooth decay, dry mouth and fungal infections of the mouth.
Half of people who are diagnosed with diabetes have some diabetes associated complications, potentially around 85% of these people could be identified through opportunistic screening and dental clinics could provide an important screening opportunity. In addition, identifying people who have raised blood sugar (impaired glucose regulation, (IGR)) but do not yet have diabetes presents an opportunity to prevent development of diabetes.
This project aims to determine the number of people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and the number of people who are considered at high risk of type 2 diabetes who are attending the Restorative Periodontal Clinic at the Leicester Glenfield Hospital. We will use a HbA1c test to diagnose T2DM and subjects at risk of diabetes. HbA1c provides a measure of blood sugar levels over the previous eight to twelve weeks and can be done at any time of the day. To our knowledge this will be the first screening study conducted in a periodontal clinic within the UK.
All people who attend the Restorative clinic will be invited to take part in the study to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM and IGR. We will also investigate associations between HbA1c and severity of periodontal disease.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/0175
Date of REC Opinion
16 May 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion