Oral Aspects and Complications in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – a Study

Type 2 diabetes mellitus comprises an array of dysfunctions resulting in several soft tissue abnormalities in the oral cavity. These include gingivitis periodontitis, salivary dysfunction, taste dysfunction, oral fungal and bacterial infections, geographic tongue, benign migratory glossitis, fissured tongue, traumatic ulcer, lichen planus, angular cheilitis, delayed mucosal healing, dental root caries, tooth loss, mucosal neurosensory disorders, and oral mucosal lesions. This article aims to determine the frequency of different oral manifestations and complications in patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This will not only increase the awareness of oral manifestations and complications of diabetes mellitus but also help in expediting the research on the subject.It was a descriptive study and was carried out at the Operative Dentistry Department of Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry from January 2010 to January 2011. 200 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria(diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus of > 35 years of age) were included in the study. 70 (35%) were female and 130(65%) were male patients. The frequency of different oral manifestations and complications seen in these patients in descending order were; gingivitis (45%), periodontitis (36%), dental root caries (22%), taste dysfunction (7%), neurosensory dysesthesias (5%), xerostomia (4 %) and oral candidiasis (2%). It was concluded that diabetic patients are more prone to get oral complications so health education, timely diagnosis and effective treatment should be carried out to prevent these complications.