People with diabetes are at increased risk of periodontitis (gum disease) and tooth loss. The risk of inflammation and bone loss in dental implants has also increased. These are the results of a paper at the University of Gothenburg.
Diabetes is associated with complications in multiple organs, including the oral cavity. As a group, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for oral disease.
This paper is based on a comprehensive dataset with high completeness from seven Swedish registries covering a long period of time. The paper was presented by Anna Torlenke Eriksson, a dentist specializing in periodontology.
This paper addresses the link between the systemic condition diabetes and oral conditions such as periodontitis, tooth loss and peri-implantitis (an inflammatory disease in the tissues surrounding dental implants). Compared to previous studies, the study sample is surprisingly large, especially for type 1 diabetes.
Blood sugar control is important
People with type 1 diabetes and poorly controlled blood sugar levels were found to have an increased risk of periodontitis and tooth loss compared to controls without diabetes. However, such differences were not evident in people with consistently good glycemic control.
Type 2 diabetes had an increased risk of periodontitis and tooth loss, regardless of glycemic control. The correlation was strongest for poor glycemic control. Second, in both types of diabetes, periodontitis was found to be associated with an increased risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney complications.
Among people with dental implants, those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes had an increased risk of peri-implantitis and implant loss. Poor glycemic control was a major contributing factor to poor implant outcomes.
The risk of complete tooth loss was particularly high in socio-economically disadvantaged (low-income, low-educated) diabetic patients, highlighting the importance of socio-economic factors. Data from both Sweden and Denmark were considered.
It’s important to be aware of the risks
This paper adds to existing evidence of an association between diabetes and oral disease and emphasizes the importance of close collaboration between medical and dental health care providers. The findings regarding dental implants are novel and suggest that diabetes may influence the long-term outcomes of implant treatment.
In the dental world, most people are aware of the link between diabetes and poor oral health. Our data support the idea that dental treatment should be part of diabetes prevention strategies. ”
Anna Turenke Eriksson, University of Gothenburg
