Teaching casual random blood glucose screening to second-year dental students.
In our project, archived casual random blood glucose levels of second-year dental students who were taught the mechanics of self-testing were retrieved. Material data were analyzed by calculating means, medians, standard deviations, and ranges for 161 dental students screened by this casual and random self-monitoring of blood glucose levels as described by the American Diabetes Association's 2008 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Three types of data were assessed in this study. The first was the casual blood glucose levels of second-year dental students. The second was the data retrieved from student questionnaires regarding the value of teaching casual random blood glucose screening. The third was the U.S. dental schools' responses regarding inclusion of casual blood glucose screening in their current curricula. Second-year dental students self-reported hypoglycemia in three instances and hyperglycemia in eight, based on current American Diabetes Association standards. Students agreed or strongly agreed that the value of teaching was informative (92.3 percent), beneficial (95 percent), and something that might be included in their practices (78.2 percent), with 19.2 percent being neutral on the inclusion. Only six U.S. dental schools reported teaching casual random glucose screening.
Radmer
Thomas W
TW
Undergraduate Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.
Kassab
Moawia M
MM
Lynch
Denis P
DP
Walsh
Martin
M
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill / Q000379:methods*; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004497:Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D009909:Oral Health; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013335:Students, Dental; D014481:United States
D001786:Blood Glucose