Diabetes and Periodontal Disease
Updated: May 11, 2020
Diabetes is a disease where the body does not produce insulin or cannot use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas; it regulates blood glucose (sugar). Too much sugar can damage organs, blood vessels, and nerves.
Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that affects the soft tissue and bone support of your teeth. If left untreated periodontitis can lead to tooth mobility and tooth loss. Periodontitis is more common in diabetic patients compared to healthy controls.
Therefore, prevention and control of periodontitis must be considered in the control and treatment of diabetes. It is recommended that diabetic patients who have poor control should be seen more frequently for hygiene visits, every 3-4 months.
Other oral manifestations of diabetes include xerostomia (dry mouth) and delayed wound healing.
#periodontitis #diabetes #dentistry
https://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-68/issue-3/161.pdf
https://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes
https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(14)62729-X/fulltext