Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Periodontal Disease and Diabetes

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Many patient's ask why our examinations take so long! One of the reasons is due to the improance of detecting, diagnosing and prescribing the proper treatment for periodontal disease.
One reason is there are many diseases associated with periodonyal disease.

Is there a correlation between periodontal disease and Type II diabetes? Recent research shows there might be.
According to the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, their studies show periodontal disease may be a predictor for Type II diabetes. Currently we know having diabetes predisposes you to periodontal disease. However, new research is asking the question of whether having periodontal disease may contribute to you developing diabetes.
Researchers followed a sample of patients without diabetes and found that those with a more advanced stage of periodontal disease were more than twice as likely to develop Type II diabetes. All factors were weighed in to this study. So, what does this mean? It means that "this data adds a new twist to the association and suggest that periodontal disease may be there before diabetes," said Ryan T. Demmer, PhD, MPH, associate research scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. The study showed that those who did have periodontal disease had a greater chance of developing Type II diabetes later on in life as compared to those who did not have periodontal disease.
Of course, more studies need to be done. The direct connection between periodontal disease and Type II diabetes needs to be found. Until then, we do not know if preventing or treating periodontal disease will also prevent Type II diabetes. In the mean time, please discuss this with our hygienists on your next visit. We do a complete periodontal exam at each hygiene visit and would be happy to discuss the findings with you and advise you on what steps you need to take to prevent periodontal disease from developing.
Please call our office to schedule an appointment at 561-394-9000!

Faith Tracey, R.D.H.

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.