Abstract
We studied Japanese patients with periodontal disease to epidemiologically evaluate the possible relationship between diabetic conditions and oral findings. Subjects, all of whom providedinformed consent, were 601 men and women 30-69 years old (mean: ± S.D. : 54.3 ± 9.0). All were treated atdental offices in Aichi Prefecture and all had 1 or more sites with a probing pocket depth (PPD) of 5 mm or more. Subjects were divided into 3 groups based on diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.—group D, those with diabetes; group I, those with impaired glucose tolerance; and group N, those with normal glucose tolerance.—to compare difference in oral findings between diabetic and nondiabetic groups. Groups D and I were analyzed further to evaluate the correlation between oral findings and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or medical treatment of diabetes. When we compared groups D and N, dental and periodontal conditions were worse in group D. We found in groups D and I that no significant correlation existed between FPG and oral findings, such as mean teeth number, mean PPD and other periodontal conditions. When groups D and I were divided into 3 based on medical treatment of diabetes.—group DE, diet control and/or physical exercise only; group DR, administration of oral hypoglycemic drugs; and group IN, insulin injection.—, the mean PPD was less in groups DR and IN than in group DE, whether FPG was high or low (p<0.01). The same trend was seen in teeth mobility, indicating that medical treatment of diabetes using insulin or oral hypoglycemic drugs may affect the reduction of periodontal tissue destruction caused by periodontal disease. J Jpn Soc Periodontol, 44: 64-72, 2002.
