Effect of diabetes on periodontal status of a population with poor oral health.
OBJECTIVE
Diabetes is a global health problem and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of diabetes on the periodontal status of a Pakistani population with poor oral hygiene.


METHODS
Eighty-eight individuals with diabetes and 80 non-diabetic individuals were recruited from a disadvantaged district in Karachi, Pakistan. The group with diabetes comprised 50 males and 38 females, and the non-diabetic group 43 males and 37 females. All underwent clinical and radiographic examination.


RESULTS
The average numbers of teeth in the diabetes and non-diabetes groups were 24 and 26, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) for missing or fewer teeth was 2.3 times higher for diabetics than for non-diabetics (CI 1.32-4.14; p<0.001). Diabetic patients had more sites with plaque than did non-diabetics (OR 1.96, CI 0.99-3.88; p<0.056). Moderate to severe periodontitis was significantly more prevalent among diabetic patients (p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In this disadvantaged population with poor oral hygiene, diabetes has had a strongly negative influence on oral health: diabetic patients have fewer teeth, more plaque, and a higher prevalence of moderate to severe periodontal disease than non-diabetics.
Department of Odontology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. farzeen.tanwir@ki.se
Farzeen
F
Tanwir
Mohammad
M
Altamash
Anders
A
Gustafsson
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000150:complications*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D011203:Poverty; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000150:complications*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations