Alternative markers of glycemic status in diabetes mellitus

Monitoring people with diabetes by repeatedly estimating blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels is invasive which becomes appalling and expensive over time. Potential of saliva as a diagnostic tool could be exploited in this regard. 26 diabetes patients were compared with 21 age matched non-diabetic healthy controls for Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), salivary glucose (SG), salivary pH (SpH), Oral health status and markers of oxidative stress in saliva namely Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive substance (TBARS) or Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total antioxidant activity (AOA). Significantly high FPG (p=0.005) along with high salivary AOA (p < 0.0001) levels, markedly lesser SpH and MDA were found in the diabetic group. Changes in SG levels between the groups were of no consequence. FPG showed positive correlation to SG (r = 0.410) and even better correlation with salivary MDA (r = 0.562) only in diabetes. Since SG levels did not differ between the two groups, the study concludes that conventional marker like FPG is a better indicator of glycemic status. Lower MDA seen in saliva of diabetic group may be probably due to the exceptionally high AOA activity seen in these people.