Potassium concentration in dental calculus may serve as a potential biomarker for early diabetes detection, according to a new study published in BMC Oral Health.
Researchers at the HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research in Hungary analyzed 57 dental calculus samples—17 from patients with diabetes and 40 from non-diabetic controls—using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) to assess elemental composition, with a particular focus on potassium (K).
The researchers found significantly higher potassium levels in samples from patients with diabetes, suggesting dental calculus may have potential as a biomarker for the disease.
Based on these findings, the authors proposed incorporating dental calculus analysis into routine dental care following calculus removal to help identify early signs of diabetes.
“This approach provides a cost-effective and painless alternative to traditional diagnostic methods,” the authors wrote.
Related: Study: Regular interdental cleaning tied to improved blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes
While the researchers described their data as preliminary, they said the “results indicate a potential biochemical link that warrants further exploration in larger, well-controlled studies.”
Globally, diabetes cases have more than quadrupled since 1990, affecting approximately 830 million adults worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Separately, a study conducted between December 2021 and February 2022 at Yazd Dental School in Iran reported that dental pulp stones—calcified deposits in the tooth pulp that are typically asymptomatic and often go unnoticed—may be more common in people with diabetes.
At the time, the researchers highlighted a lack of research examining the relationship between pulp stones and carotid artery calcifications in patients with diabetes.