Assessment of salivary and plasma glucose levels and their correlation with oral health status in adults with and without type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study.
Keywords:
Diabetes Mellitus, Saliva, Glucose, Periodontal diseases, Dental Caries.
Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate plasma and salivary glucose levels and explore their correlation with oral health status among individuals with and without type 2 diabetes in Kanpur City. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 diabetic individuals and another 150 participants who were matched for age and sex but did not have diabetes. Salivary and plasma glucose levels were measured and oral health was assessed using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and Loss of Attachment (LOA) index. Results: Diabetic participants exhibited significantly higher mean plasma glucose (212.63 ± 75.47 mg/dl) and salivary glucose (10.56 ± 4.51 mg/dl) levels than controls. A significant positive relationship (r = 0.88, P = 0.001) was found between the glucose levels in saliva and plasma. Individuals with diabetes also demonstrated significantly poorer oral health outcomes, including higher DMFT scores, a greater prevalence of shallow periodontal pockets (CPI score 3), and moderate to severe attachment loss (LOA scores 2–4). Conclusion: Elevated salivary glucose levels in individuals with diabetes are strongly correlated with plasma glucose levels and poor oral health, highlighting the potential of saliva as a noninvasive tool for glycemic monitoring and early detection of diabetes-related oral complications.
References
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25. Popławska-Kita A, Siewko K, Szpak P, Król B, Telejko B, Klimiuk PA, et al. Association between type 1 diabetes and periodontal health. Adv Med Sci. 2014;59(1):126–31.
26. Bhardwaj V. Prevalence and severity of periodontal disease among non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients in Shimla City, Himachal Pradesh, India. J Cranio-Maxillary Dis. 2014;3(1):11–11.
27. Radhika T, Ranganathan K. Periodontal health in type 2 diabetics. J Dr YSR Univ Health Sci. 2014;3(Suppl 1):S37–42.
2. Kumar A, Goel MK, Jain RB, Khanna P, Chaudhary V. India towards diabetes control: Key issues. Australas Med J. 2013;6(10):524.
3. Wild S, Roglic G, Green A, Sicree R, King H. Global prevalence of diabetes: estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care. 2004;27(5):1047–53.
4. Little RR, Goldstein DE. Endocrine (standardization of glycohemoglobin measurement). Anal Chem. 1995 June 15;67(12):393–7.
5. Surampudi PN, John‐Kalarickal J, Fonseca VA. Emerging Concepts in the Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Mt Sinai J Med J Transl Pers Med. 2009 June;76(3):216–26.
6. Association AD. Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(Supplement_1):S62–9.
7. Sandberg GE, Sundberg HE, Fjellstrom CA, Wikblad KF. Type 2 diabetes and oral health: a comparison between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2000;50(1):27–34.
8. Collin HL, Niskanen L, Uusitupa M, Töyry J, Collin P, Koivisto AM, et al. Oral symptoms and signs in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a focus on diabetic neuropathy. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endodontology. 2000;90(3):299–305.
9. Murray CE, Coleman CM. Impact of diabetes mellitus on bone health. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(19):4873.
10. Hegde A, Shenoy R, D’Mello P, Smitha A, Tintu A, Manjrekar P. Alternative markers of glycemic status in diabetes mellitus. Biomed Res-INDIA. 2010;21(3):252–6.
11. Song M, Bai H, Zhang P, Zhou X, Ying B. Promising applications of human-derived saliva biomarker testing in clinical diagnostics. Int J Oral Sci. 2023;15(1):2.
12. Kaufman E, Lamster IB. THE DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATIONS OF SALIVA— A REVIEW. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2002 Mar;13(2):197–212.
13. Pradeepa R, Mohan V. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its complications in India and economic costs to the nation. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2017;71(7):816–24.
14. Organization WH. Oral health surveys: basic methods [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2013 [cited 2025 July 15]. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8rEXDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=WHO+oral+Health+Survey+(2013)&ots=fEIFW4uAXo&sig=dB_lA54kgK6U9M1dX1aovXJfTgM
15. Lamster IB, Lalla E, Borgnakke WS, Taylor GW. The relationship between oral health and diabetes mellitus. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008;139:19S-24S.
16. Saini R, Al-Maweri SA, Saini D, Ismail NM, Ismail AR. Oral mucosal lesions in non oral habit diabetic patients and association of diabetes mellitus with oral precancerous lesions. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010;89(3):320–6.
17. Dwivedi A, Purohit BM, Purohit A, Bhambal A. Journal of Diabetes and Obesity. [cited 2025 July 15]; Available from: https://www.academia.edu/download/57271219/JDO-17-RA-1378new-min.pdf
18. Kadashetti V, Baad R, Malik N, Shivakumar KM, Vibhute N, Belgaumi U, et al. Glucose Level Estimation in Diabetes Mellitus By Saliva: A Bloodless Revolution. Rom J Intern Med. 2015 Sept 1;53(3):248–52.
19. Shaik S, Jayam R, Bokkasam V, Dirasantchu S, Venkata SS, Praveen S. Salivary glucose and oral mucosal alterations in type II diabetic mellitus patients. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol. 2017;29(4):259–62.
20. Kakoei S, Hosseini B, Haghdoost AA, Sanjari M, Hashemipour MA, Gholamhosseinian A. The detection of salivary glucose, caries and periodontal status in diabetes mellitus patients. J Oral Health Oral Epidemiol. 2014;3(2):79–84.
21. Puttaswamy KA, Puttabudhi JH, Raju S. Correlation between salivary glucose and blood glucose and the implications of salivary factors on the oral health status in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2017;7(1):28–33.
22. Mishra N, Trivedi A, Gajdhar SK, Bhagwat H, Khutwad GK, Mall PE, et al. Correlation of Blood Glucose Levels, Salivary Glucose Levelsand Oral Colony Forming Units of Candida Albicans in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2019;20(4):2.
23. Yavagal PC, Nagesh L. Comparative evaluation of periodontal status among diabetic and non-diabetic population in davangere city: A cross-sectional study. Int J Appl Dent Sci. 2020;6(3):303–6.
24. Apoorva SM, Sridhar N, Suchetha A. Prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus (non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) patients in Bangalore city: An epidemiological study. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2013;17(1):25–9.
25. Popławska-Kita A, Siewko K, Szpak P, Król B, Telejko B, Klimiuk PA, et al. Association between type 1 diabetes and periodontal health. Adv Med Sci. 2014;59(1):126–31.
26. Bhardwaj V. Prevalence and severity of periodontal disease among non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients in Shimla City, Himachal Pradesh, India. J Cranio-Maxillary Dis. 2014;3(1):11–11.
27. Radhika T, Ranganathan K. Periodontal health in type 2 diabetics. J Dr YSR Univ Health Sci. 2014;3(Suppl 1):S37–42.
Published
2026-06-09
How to Cite
Bansal, V., Singh, C., Singh, D. P., Bansal, V., Siddiqui, Z., & Aggrawal, D. A. (2026). Assessment of salivary and plasma glucose levels and their correlation with oral health status in adults with and without type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional study. UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF DENTAL SCIENCES, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.21276/ujds.2026.12.2.10
Section
Original Research Paper
