Comparison of periodontal parameters and metabolic glucose levels in patients with diabetes and healthy subjects

Background: For decades, it was suspected that diabetes contributed to poorer oral health and the increased frequency of periodontitis. More recently it was found that periodontitis could adversely affect glycemic control in diabetics. The aim of this study was to compare periodontal parameters with the metabolic sugar levels of diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study the experimental group were individuals with the diagnosis of diabetes. The control group consisted of healthy individuals without any systemic condition that affected periodontal status. Periodontal parameters, body mass index, HbA1c level and duration of diabetes were measured and recorded. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Spearman’s correlation coefficient in a bivariate normal distribution. Results: Patients with diabetes had worse periodontal status compared with control group. On the other hand, both patients with diabetes type 1 and 2 showed higher plaque index, bleeding index and clinical attachment loss compared with healthy control group. There was no meaningful relation between HbA1c and periodontal indices. In type 2 diabetic individuals, there was a significant correlation between the number of missing teeth and the duration of their illness. Conclusions: Based on the evaluated parameters in this study, the experimental groups, (type 1 and 2 diabetics), experienced worse conditions than healthy control individuals with respect to their periodontal status. Deterioration of periodontal status is directly related to diabetes progression.