More on the Oral/Systemic Connection

Study Suggests Periodontitis Treatment May Help Manage Type 2 Diabetes.

Reuters (11/26, Banerjee) reported that a recent study suggests “treating chronic gum inflammation” may help people with type 2 diabetes “control their disease.” The study of 264 people with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis found that “over the course of a year, patients who got intensive periodontal treatment from dentists saw improvements not just in their blood glucose levels but in the health of their kidneys and blood vessels, too.” Study leader Dr. Francesco D’Aiuto said, “While more research is needed to explore the exact mechanisms” by which treating periodontitis can help people with diabetes, “a reduction of systemic inflammation…is the most plausible link.” The findings were published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Dental professionals can find information on diabetes on an ADA Science Institute-developed Oral Health Topics page. In September, ADA Science Institute researchers published a paper highlighting the real potential for benefit from conducting diabetes risk assessment in the dental practice setting to raise patient awareness of their elevated diabetes risk. Diabetes risk assessment can be accomplished using a paper version of the test or using the online version available through CDC.

In addition, the ADA offers the online course Diabetes and the Dental Professional and the Diabetes and Your Oral Health brochure.