Endocrine Abstracts

Diabetes mellitus is currently being recognised as a global health problem. The likelihood of periodontal disease among diabetics is thrice and progresses rapidly when uncontrolled. Diabetics were less likely to see a dentist than to seek consult with a doctor for diabetes care. A cheap and easy way of clinical assessment via self-reported oral health questionnaire would be of great use especially in a developing country like The Philippines. This study aims to validate self-reported oral health measures, socio-demographic and medical variables in predicting the severity of periodontitis in Filipino adults with type 2 diabetes. The validated self-reported oral health questionnaires created by the CDC Periodontal Disease Surveillance Project was translated into Filipino and used. A cross-sectional study of 180 participants was conducted in a single institution. Multivariable logistic regression analyses was used to determine significant predictors of serious periodontitis. Socio-demographic and medical variables considered to be significantly predictive of serious periodontits were male sex (OR=2.17), low educational status (OR=2.98), poor glycaemic control (OR=2.58), less frequent dental visits (OR=2.77) and teeth loss >6 (OR=5.02). Self reported oral health variables shown to be significantly predictive of serious periodontitis included gum disease – Q1 (OR=8.33), state of gum health – Q2 (OR=0.39), loose teeth – Q3 (OR=63.0), brushing of teeth – Q4 (OR=0.65), use of mouthwash – Q4 (OR=0.69) and poor tooth appearance – Q5 (OR=48.42). A recommended set of questions and proposed scoring system based on the logistic regression analysis of each predictors’ strength was then formulated. The use self-reported oral health questions appears to be a potentially useful screening tool for predicting the presence of serious periodontitis among type 2 diabetics locally where resources are limited and routine clinical oral examinations are not feasible. This will provide a cost-effective and rapid method of identifying patients who are in need of immediate dental evaluation and would benefit most to a dental referral.