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A new type of sensor for people with diabetes is reportedly in development that will measure sugar levels in the body using saliva instead of blood, according a new research published. 

Researchers have created the sensor and successfully tested it using artificial saliva. The sensor uses light, metal and a special enzyme that changes color when exposed to blood sugar. 

"Everybody knows that diabetics have to prick their fingers to draw blood to check their blood sugar and then respond to that information. And they have to do that multiple times a day," said study co-author Tayhas Palmore, a professor of engineering, chemistry and medical science at Brown, in the press release.

"We're looking for another possibility, and realized that saliva is another bodily fluid that could be measured," Palmore said.

This idea is a welcome one, said Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "People are always trying to come up with new ideas of how to measure blood sugar without pricking the fingers."

However, the sensor wont be hitting the shelves in the market any time soon. "The process of [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] approval will take a long time, and we have to see how accurate this device is in humans, especially humans who are eating and drinking, which will possibly contaminate the sample," Zonszein added.

"Just because there is an established way of measuring blood sugar, doesn't mean it's the only way," Palmore concluded. "This is a priority area of research for many people. There's some hope that you may not have to prick yourself every couple of hours."

The research has been published in the journal Nanophotonics.