Alveolar bone loss in type 1 diabetic subjects.
AIM, BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the degree of marginal alveolar bone loss in a group of young subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) (n=35, age range 24-36 years) and age-matched non-diabetic control subjects (n=10).


METHODS
The diabetic group was divided into 3 subgroups (D1, D2, D3) according to the severity of the diabetic state. The level of alveolar bone was measured on panoramic radiographs of maxillary and mandibular molars as the % of the distance between the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) and the bone crest along the total length of the root. All mesial and distal sites with a distance of > 15% (BL>15%) were picked, and calculations were performed using the individual %s of sites with BL> 15%.


RESULTS
Based on the present findings, we conclude that type 1 DM has a modifying effect on marginal loss of alveolar bone. A clear trend towards increased marginal bone loss was seen in the subjects with complicated DM (D3). The subjects with good metabolic control and no complications of DM (D1) are no more susceptible to marginal bone loss than non-diabetic controls of the same age.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings confirm our previous results on increased loss of periodontal support in subjects with complicated DM already at an early age.
Tervonen
T
T
Oral and Maxillofacial Department, Oulu University Hospital, Finland. tellervo.tervonen@oulu.fi
Karjalainen
K
K
Knuuttila
M
M
Huumonen
S
S
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin