Dental care important in diabetes

Taking good care of teeth and dental health is important for people suffering from diabetes.Periodontal disease strongly predicts mortality from heart disease and kidney disease among Pima Indians with type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease in Phoenix, Arizona, USA studied 628 Pima Indians of 35 years of age with type 2 diabetes.

The team used dental x-rays and examinations to see if the participants had periodontal disease, and classified it as none, mild, moderate, or severe. Nearly 60 per cent of the subjects had severe periodontal disease. Of these, 263 (70 per cent) had lost all their teeth.A total of 204 participants died during an average follow-up of 11 years. The death rates for all natural causes expressed as the number of deaths per 1000 person. Years of follow-up were 3.7 for no or mild periodontal disease, 19.6 for moderate disease, and 28.4 for severe periodontal disease.

The causes of death associated with periodontal disease were specifically heart disease and diabetes-related kidney disease.
The findings suggest that periodontal disease is a major public health burden in Pima Indians, and it is a strong predictor of death from cardio-renal disease in those with type 2 diabetes.

COMMENT