A Determination of Salivary and Serum Glucose Levels in Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus.

AIM: The aim of this work was to determine and compare serum and salivary glucose levels in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (DM).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study had an overall sample size of 100, which consisted of male and female volunteers aged 30-67 years. Both in-depth interviews and physical tests were conducted. Blood and saliva were collected from the participants while fasting, which were analyzed to determine the levels of salivary alpha-amylase (α-amylase). Both the subjects and the controls were instructed to test their blood glucose levels while fasting and it was suggested that HbA1c values will be used for diagnosing diabetes following the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, Centers for Disease Control, and World Health Organization.

RESULTS: The average age of the control group (Category A) was noted as 47.52±6.28 years, and that of the study group (Category B) was 49.17±7.25 years. In Category A, female (n=23) were 46%, and 54% were male (n=27); and 40% of the people in Category B were female (n=20), and 60% were male (n=30). The majority of patients (54%) in Category B displayed an average level of DM control (n=27), followed by poor control (24%. n=12), well-controlled (20%, n=10), and uncontrolled DM (2%, n=1). Category A had an average salivary α-amylase concentration of 3.1±0.88 U/L, whereas that of Category B was 12.06±2.36 U/L. Thus, the mean salivary α-amylase level of Category B was found to be much higher than that of Category A, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION: The determination of α-amylase levels in the saliva of individuals suspected of having type II DM has been suggested as a potential diagnostic method. Screenings conducted at healthcare institutions and community health fairs, as well as epidemiological studies, might benefit from this method. We believe that normal clinical practice should include the use of saliva in a broad variety of diagnostic tests.