Attitudes, awareness and oral health‐related quality of life in patients with diabetes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge diabetic patients have of their risk for periodontal disease, their attitude towards oral health and their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQL). One hundred and one consecutive patients (age range 31-79 years) recruited from a diabetic outpatient clinic participated in the study. Twenty-seven per cent of participants had type 1 diabetes, 66% type 2 and 7% did not know what type of diabetes they had. The length of time since participants were diagnosed as diabetic ranged from 1 to 48 years. Metabolic control of diabetes as determined by HbA1c levels ranged from 6.2% to 12.0% compared with the normal range of 4.5-6.0%. Thirty-three per cent of participants were aware of their increased risk for periodontal disease, 84% of their increased risk for heart disease, 98% for eye disease, 99% for circulatory problems and 94% for kidney disease. Half of the participants who were aware of their increased risk for periodontal disease had received this information from a dentist. Dental attendance was sporadic, with 43% reporting attendance within the last year. OHRQL was not significantly affected by the presence of diabetes in the group surveyed, in comparison with a previous survey of non-diabetic patients. A significant association was found between metabolic control and dentate status. Awareness of the potential associations between diabetes, oral health and general health needs to be increased in diabetic patients.

Oral health awareness in adult patients with diabetes: a questionnaire study

“…Indeed, dental care activities were not rated as important self-care tasks in comparison to other diabetes self-management activities. These results confirm the findings of other studies [16][17][18] showing a limited awareness of the importance of good oral health in patients with diabetes. Although the majority of respondents were registered with a dentist and attended one or more appointments per year, some were not receiving professional dental care, particularly edentulous patients.…”

“…However, several studies, [16][17][18] conducted worldwide, have shown that people with diabetes often lack important knowledge about the oral health complications of diabetes, and have poor levels of oral self-care.…”

Oral hygiene practice of adult diabetic patients and their awareness about oral health problems related to diabetes

“…This level of awareness could be considered acceptable to good if compared to previous studies evaluating the same issue. This percentage is much larger than that found in most of the reports from different areas worldwide (Al Habashneh et al, 2010;Allen et al, 2008;Yuen et al, 2009). This could be attributed to the fact that the study population is made up of Internet users, who may have a higher level of general health knowledge.…”

“…Poor oral health knowledge and awareness of the relationship between diabetes mellitus and oral health problems have been found in most of the previous studies in different areas worldwide (Yuen et al, 2009;Bowyer et al, 2011;Eldarrat, 2011;Al Habashneh et al, 2009;Allen et al, 2008). Allen et al (2008) reported that Al Amassi and Al Dakheel 9 .…”

“…Allen et al (2008) reported that Al Amassi and Al Dakheel 9 . only 33% of the diabetic patients they studied were aware that diabetes may increase the risk of periodontal disease, while 84% were aware of their increased risk of heart disease, 98% of eye disease, 99% of circulatory problems and 94% of kidney disease.…”