Periodontitis tied to microvascular complications in diabetes patients: Study

South Korea: A recent study published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications has shown periodontitis presence to be related to an increased risk of microvascular complications in patients with diabetes. 

Periodontitis, a common chronic inflammatory disease, is a serious gum infection that can cause tooth loss and other severe health complications. It is one of the oral complications of diabetes. Diabetes-related microvascular complications and periodontitis are also closely associated with systemic inflammation. However, not much research has been done on factors related to diabetes microvascular complications.

Against the above background, Tae-Jin Song, Department of Neurology, Seoul Hospital, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, and colleagues hypothesized that periodontitis and oral hygiene markers might raise the risk of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus (DM)

The study enrolled 11,353 diabetes participants who did not have prior microvascular complications who received complete oral health checkups in the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort in 2003–2004. The primary outcome was the first development of diabetes-related microvascular complications, including neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy.