Impact of Dental Follow-Up on Diabetes Patients' Dental Visits
Author Information
Author(s): Muacevic Alexander, Adler John R, Shu Sekiya, Yasunari Mano, Tatsunori Suzuki, Rei Tanaka, Shumpei Harigai, Yoshiaki Shikamura
Primary Institution: Tokyo University of Science
Hypothesis
Can follow-up by pharmacists improve dental consultation and checkup rates for patients with diabetes?
Conclusion
While there was no significant change in dental consultation or checkup rates, awareness and understanding of oral care improved among patients.
Supporting Evidence
- The dental consultation rate increased from 40.8% to 41.8% after six months.
- The dental checkup rate increased from 57.1% to 59.2% after six months.
- Awareness of the relationship between periodontal disease and blood sugar levels improved significantly.
- Patients' willingness to prevent periodontal disease increased from 86.6% to 94.8%.
Takeaway
This study shows that pharmacists can help diabetes patients remember to visit the dentist, even if not everyone goes more often.
Methodology
A multicenter before-after study with a six-month follow-up using a LINE-based tool called 'FollowNavi®' to track dental consultation and checkup rates.
Potential Biases
Possible recall bias and lack of accuracy in self-reported data.
Limitations
High rate of incomplete answers in questionnaires and potential recall bias in self-reported data.
Participant Demographics
113 patients with type 2 diabetes, median age 60 years, 55 men and 56 women.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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