Dental disease may be associated with diabetes

By Jimmy Downs

People with periodontal (gum) disease are also at high risk for diabetes and should be screened for diabetes, according to a new study in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry

Early studies have linked gum disease to higher risk of heart disease and it is speculated that some bacteria causing the gum disease may also trigger inflammation associated with heart disease.

In the current study, Dr. Shiela Strauss of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU’s Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing examined data from 2,923 adults participating in the 2003 to 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  Participants were free of diabetes when entering the study.

Using the guidelines established by the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Strauss found 93 percent of subjects with periodontal disease were considered to be at high risk for disease compared to 63 percent of those without the dental disease.

Diabetes, in most cases it refers to type 2 diabetes, affects 20 million people in the United States. This disease can cause lethal complications like heart disease and death.