Diabetic kids prone to gum disease

Gum inflammation and loosening of teeth can start very early in life in children with diabetes and these periodontal conditions can become more prominent in adolescence. Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center, USA, assessed the dental health of 182 diabetic children between 6 and 18 years of age, comparing them with 160 non-diabetic controls. It was found that the children with diabetes had significantly more dental plaque and higher gingival inflammation levels than the comparison group. The children with diabetes also had significantly more teeth that showed evidence of attachment loss, a characteristic sign of periodontal disease – 6 teeth on average in the diabetes group versus 1.5 in controls. Statistically, diabetes was strongly related to periodontitis after factoring in a number of other variables. This was especially true in the 12 to 18 years olds. As periodontal diseases are largely preventable and progression of tooth destruction can be best arrested when identified in early stages, screening for periodontal changes and implementing prevention and treatment programs should be considered as a standard of care for young patients with diabetes.