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Objectives: This study investigated utilisation behaviour of the dentist compared to general practitioners (GP) and medical specialists in a German cohort under consideration of risk indicators for irregular dental attendance., Methods: Analysis of the results of the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study (Leipzig, Germany) was performed. A total of 2231 participants of the LIFE-Adult-Study were randomly selected to complete the relevant questionnaire, considering medical attendance behaviour. Associations of self-reported medical conditions, including dentaland medical attendance, sociodemographic factors, as well as self-reported general health status and oral health complaints were determined., Results: Of the 2231 participants who were included in the analysis, 14.2% reported not to have visited the dentist during the preceding 12 months. There could be shown a more selective utilisation behaviour towards medical services in smokers, men, low socioeconomic status and depression. Women were more likely to attend the dentist than men (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.4-2.3). Smoking (OR = 0.7, CI = 0.6-1.0), low socioeconomic status (OR = 0.6, CI = 0.4-0.8) and depression (OR = 0.6, CI = 0.4-0.9) were related to less dental attendance. Additionally, persons who do not visit the dentist regularly showed less attendance of the GP as well as medical specialists (p <0.05). Depression could be shown to be an additional risk factor for unfavourable utilisation behaviour towards the dentist., Conclusions: The results showed differences in dental and medical attendance, depending on different patient-related factors. Focusing attention towards high-risk groups might improve dental as well as medical utilisation behaviour, and therefore health status as well.

Purpose: This dental practice-based pilot study aimed to investigate the efficacy of diabetes mellitus (DM) screening based on questionnaire replies., Materials and Methods: 116 patients were screened in a private dental practice when visiting the dentist for a regular check-up. The Find-Risk (FR) questionnaire was used for diabetes screening. FR-positive (FR+) patients were referred to a diabetologist for further diagnostics (blood glucose, HbA1c); FR-negative patients (FR-) did not receive a diabetological examination. Furthermore, dental findings (DMFT) were obtained and periodontal condition was classified into no, mild, moderate or severe periodontitis, based upon periodontal pocket depth and clinical attachment loss. Sensitivity and specificity of the FR questionnaire and a modified FR questionnaire (additional inquiry if severe periodontitis had been ever diagnosed) were determined in a statistical model., Results: 102 patients with a mean age of 56.31 years were included. Seven patients had known DM. A total of 36 patients were FR+, including the seven patients with known DM. Only 16 of the 29 participants (55%) followed the recommendation to see the diabetologist. Nine of these 16 patients showed conspicuous blood glucose findings. Both with and without modification of the FR questionnaire, a sensitivity of 100% was achieved. With the modified FR questionnaire, a higher specificity was shown in a statistical model compared to the FR questionnaire without modification (80% vs 69.5%)., Conclusion: FR-based DM screening in dental practice is possible and could help to identify patients with (pre-) diabetes. However, these results must be validated in a large patient cohort.