Hunt School of Dental Medicine to test patients for diabetes

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- There’s a saying that good health begins in the mouth. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso is taking that belief to a whole new level at the Hunt School of Dental Medicine. 

Dental students will now be testing patients for diabetes. The diabetes screening equipment will be paid for by a nearly $115,000 grant from the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation. Both the program and grant were unveiled during a news conference Thursday at the dental clinic on the medical center campus.

"There are a lot of people in El Paso walking around who don't know their blood numbers and whether they're diabetic or pre-diabetic," said dental school dean Dr. Richard Black.

Black added it's believed a whopping 94,000 El Pasoans are living with diabetes.

Diabetes can lead to complications with overall health, from the heart and liver to the feet and even teeth.

"Any time that you have oral disease and you have diabetes at the same time, your oral health is going to be worse," Black said.

The screening for diabetes is as easy and quick as a finger prick. The blood is uploaded to an A1C tester, and the results are revealed in minutes.

The goal is to broaden diabetes prevention in the borderland. Dental school officials want to reach people who may go to the dentist but wouldn’t go to a doctor, or who may not know they have diabetes. And they hope dental students take skill with them when they enter the workforce. 

"We focus a lot on preventative care because preventative care is the beginning of health for the rest of our lives," said second-year dental student Carla Hernandez. Hernandez has been learning how to screen patients for diabetes.

"For those of us who want to open up a new clinic or go work for someone else, bringing those ideas with us is going to make us stand out and makes us a more holistic practitioner."