The burden of Diabetes, Its Oral Complications and Their Prevention and Management

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic disease, is a public health problem that affects 8.5% adult population worldwide. The number of adults with DM has risen sharply from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. In 2012, 1.5 million individuals died because of DM and an additional 2.2 million deaths occurred because of high blood glucose level resulting in cardiovascular and other systemic diseases. DM brings huge economic loss to patients, their families, and healthcare systems. Globally, the cost of DM was US$1•31 trillion in 2015.AIM:This review article utilised the prevalence data of diabetes mellitus from the World Health Organization and International Diabetes Federation to provide a comprehensive picture of the disease in different parts of the world.METHODS:Electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used to search the literature. The library resources of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia were used to retrieve studies on the topics of the present review.RESULTS:Systemic complications of DM include heart attack, kidney disease, limb loss, blindness, and peripheral nerve damage. More than 90% of diabetic patients were found to have oral manifestations. It is known that DM severely damages oral tissues causing periodontal disease, tooth loss, xerostomia, caries, burning mouth disorder, taste and salivary gland dysfunction, delayed wound healing, lichen planus, geographic tongue, and candidiasis. The evidence is mounting about a strong bidirectional relationship between DM and periodontal disease. Unfortunately, many diabetic patients are unaware of the association between DM and oral health, and only a small percentage of them visit the dentist for routine dental check-ups. Changes in lifestyles (control of blood glucose levels and self-care practices), regular dental check-ups with emphasis on periodontal assessment, and reinforcement of oral health instructions can effectively prevent oral complications of DM. Scaling and root planning are effective in improving glycemic control among diabetic patients.CONCLUSION:Dental professionals should be part of the multidisciplinary team that helps individuals with diabetes.

Hyaluronic acid treatment outcome on the post-extraction wound healing in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled split-mouth study

“…Intraorally, patients with poorly controlled diabetes could be expected to suffer similar complications and be susceptible to oral diseases and dental problems (6,7). This is evident in the healing of post-extraction wounds, which is often delayed and followed with unfavourable post-extraction socket changes (8,9). Due to the bone alteration, patients with poorly controlled diabetes suffer from impaired osseointegration, elevated risk of peri-implantitis, and higher level of implant failure (10).…”

A randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention to promote oral and dental health of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…Diabetes is one of the metabolic diseases and is a multifactorial disorder that is characterized by a chronic rise in blood sugar or hyperglycemia and is caused by either insulin secretion disorder or insulin dysfunction or both. Diabetes is also called a silent epidemic and a major public health problem and it accounts for 9% of all deaths worldwide [1]. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes have oral complications such as increased dry mouth and burning mouth.…”

Bidirectional Association between Tooth Loss and Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Tooth loss, an important index of oral health [6] , has been reported to be a possible complication of hypertension. Tooth loss re ects the end stage and irreversible condition of oral diseases including periodontitis [7] while periodontitis might share the similar pathologic mechanisms with hypertension including chronic in ammatory state [8] . However, the results varied with studies and there was still not a comprehensive conclusion.…”