Endocrine Abstracts

Diabetes mellitus is a common and growing global health problem leading to several complications. Among these, periodontal diseases are considered as the sixth complication of diabetes. The goals of this cross-sectional study were to assess Turkish diabetic patients’ oral health behaviors and association with demographic characteristics, access to dental care and need for improved health education. The study sample consisted of 121 diabetic patients (43 M/78 F), with a mean age of 49.8±13.3 years. At baseline, all patients completed self-administered questionnaires to evaluate oral hygiene habits and underwent a thorough dental/periodontal examination. 68.0% of diabetic patients noted not going to regular dental examinations, admitted to the dentist only when in pain. 74.6% of patients were not informed by an endocrinologist that they are susceptible to developing periodontitis. The mean number of decayed, missing, filled teeth index (DMFT) was 12.09±7.09. No significant gender difference was evident in the periodontal status. Mean A1c levels of the patients was 7.68±1.76%. Initial data in diabetics with A1c level higher than 7.0% shows an increase in probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss (P=0.039 and P=0.005 respectively). Diabetics who knew their last measured A1c had a decrease of the missing teeth number and not an increase in probing pocket depth. Diabetic patients with comorbidities had a significantly greater prevalence of missing teeth (80.0%) and high plaque index (80.0%) as compared to patients without comorbidities (P=0.026 and P=0.029 respectively). A significant decrease in the severity of periodontal disease was found with escalating levels of education. The non-smokers had a significantly better oral hygiene than the current smoker. The results of this study suggest that inadequate glycemic control may predict the breakdown of periodontal tissue in diabetic patients. Our results also support that oral health of diabetic patients should be improved in order to avoid adverse outcomes.