TITLE:
Diabetes and Periodontal Diseases: An Established Two-Way Relationship
AUTHORS:
Carlos Arana Molina, Luna Florencio Ojeda, María Sevillano Jiménez, Cristóbal Morales Portillo, Isabel Serrano Olmedo, Tomás Martín Hernández, Gerardo Gómez Moreno
KEYWORDS:
Diabetes Mellitus, Periodontitis, Periodontal Medicine, Two-Way Relationship
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Diabetes Mellitus,
Vol.6 No.4,
September
13,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: Periodontal diseases (PD), including
periodontitis, are chronic inflammatory pathologies caused by bacteria in the
subgingival biofilm which affect the periodontal tissues. PD is now considered
a localized, chronic, oral infection that activates the host
immuno-inflammatory responses both locally and systemically, and also
constitutes a source of bacteraemia. It is a known fact that periodontal
diseases exercise an important influence on the pathogenesis of numerous
systemic diseases, including diabetes mellitus (DM). In the mid-nineties, sufficient scientific evidence emerged to confirm
an association between DM and periodontitis, which then began to be regarded as
the sixth complication of DM. Current scientific evidence points to a two-way
relationship between DM and periodontal disease, whereby DM is associated with
an increase in the incidence and progression of periodontitis, while
periodontal infection is associated with worsening glycemic control in diabetic
patients. This two-way relationship points to a need to promote oral health in
DM patients, and to implement a joint management protocol between
endocrinologist and dentist that aims to create adequate conditions for early
diagnosis and the effective treatment of both diseases.