Periodontitis, AdultDENT-PCNCT07688278
HbA1c Screening in Dental Care and Primary Care Referral in Patients With Advanced Periodontitis
A study testing Point-of-care HbA1c screening and Conditional standardized primary care referral in people with Periodontitis, Adult and Prediabetes / Type 2 Diabetes, run by Region Skane at 1 site in Sweden.
Trial summary
This study will evaluate whether HbA1c screening can be performed in dental care to detect elevated blood glucose in patients with advanced periodontitis and support referral to primary care. Periodontitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Periodontitis, Adult, Prediabetes / Type 2 Diabetes
- What is being tested?
- Point-of-care HbA1c screening and Conditional standardized primary care referral
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 600 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSweden
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2026to 31 Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18 years or older.
- Advanced periodontitis, defined as stage 3-4 periodontitis or grade B/C periodontitis according to clinical and radiographic assessment during routine dental care.
- Ability to understand study information and provide informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus.
- Inability to provide informed consent, for example due to severe mental disorder or markedly impaired health status as judged by the clinical staff.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Peter Nymberg contact
Sweden1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Folktandvården Skåne AB
Skåne
Nils Oscarson, +46 70 277 33 57, nils.oscarson@folktandvardenskane.se
Nils Oscarson
About this study
Official title: Early Detection of Elevated Blood Sugar in Patients With Advanced Periodontitis: a Feasibility Study
This study will evaluate whether HbA1c screening can be performed in dental care to detect elevated blood glucose in patients with advanced periodontitis and support referral to primary care.
Periodontitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease affecting the supporting tissues of the teeth. Advanced periodontitis is associated with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The relationship between periodontitis and diabetes is bidirectional: diabetes increases the risk and severity of periodontitis, while periodontal inflammation may contribute to impaired glucose regulation. Patients with advanced periodontitis may therefore represent a group at increased risk of undetected elevated blood glucose. Many of these patients visit dental care regularly but may not otherwise be reached by structured medical prevention.
Read more
This is a cross-sectional observational feasibility study conducted in public dental clinics in Skåne, Sweden, in collaboration with primary care. Adult patients aged 18 years or older with advanced periodontitis, defined as periodontitis stage 3-4 or grade B/C, will be invited to participate during a routine dental visit. Patients with previously diagnosed diabetes will not be included.
After informed consent, participants will complete or update a health declaration and undergo capillary HbA1c testing at the dental clinic using a validated point-of-care instrument. Participants will receive their test result. Those with HbA1c ≥42 mmol/mol will receive standardized information and be referred to their listed primary care centre for further diagnostic assessment and preventive follow-up according to routine clinical practice.
The study will assess how feasible this pathway is in routine dental care. Outcomes include participation rate, successful HbA1c testing, time required for study procedures, prevalence of elevated HbA1c, proportion referred to primary care, completed primary care follow-up within six months, dropout and costs. Follow-up data will be collected from medical records and regional registers.
The study may provide a practical model for collaboration between dental care and primary care, with the long-term aim of improving early detection of prediabetes and diabetes and strengthening preventive care for patients with advanced periodontitis.
- Being tested
- Point-of-care HbA1c screening, Conditional standardized primary care referral
- Medical subject headings
- Chronic Periodontitis, Prediabetic State, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Point-of-care HbA1c screeningDiagnostic test
All participants undergo capillary HbA1c testing at the dental clinic using a validated point-of-care instrument. Test results are provided to the participant during the visit.
Conditional standardized primary care referralOther
Participants with HbA1c ≥42 mmol/mol receive standardized information about the elevated test result and are referred to their listed primary care centre for further diagnostic assessment and preventive follow-up according to routine clinical practice.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| HbA1c Screening in Dental Care | Experimental | Adult patients with advanced periodontitis undergo point-of-care HbA1c screening during a routine dental care visit. Patients with HbA1c ≥42 mmol/mol receive standardized information and are referred to primary care for further assessment and preventive follow-up. Receives: Diagnostic Test: Point-of-care HbA1c screening; Other: Conditional standardized primary care referral |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Participation rate
Number of participants included out of those who meet the inclusion criteria. Reasons for non-participation will be recorded in free text.
Measured: 6 months
Secondary outcomes (5)
Proportion of participants with HbA1c 42 mmol/mol or higher.
Proportion of participants with HbA1c 42 mmol/mol or higher
Measured: 6 months
Proportion of patients undergoing blood pressure examination at follow-up in primary care
Through review of medical records at the patient's primary health care center, assessment of proportion of patients undergoing blood pressure examination.
Measured: 6 months
Proportion of patients undergoing blood lipid laboratory samples
Through review of medical records in primary care, assessment of proportion of patients undergoing blood lipid laboratory sample.
Measured: 6 months
Diagnosis at follow-up
Diagnosis registered at the follow-up in primary care
Measured: 6 months
Proportion of patients receiving lifestyle advice at follow-up
Through review of medical records at follow-up in primary care, assessment of proportion of patients receiving advice on lifestyle habits.
Measured: 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Jul 2026
- Study start1 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Periodontitis, AdultStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 600 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Region Skane
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Folktandvården Skåne AB
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07688278
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2025-01744-01
- Other IDs
- 2025
- Acronym
- DENT-PC
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 29 May 2026
- Last updated
- 7 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No