Periodontal Treatment and Metabolic Control in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

The studies that correlate periodontal disease (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) suggest that individuals with poor glycemic control are at increased risk for developing infections. Despite being controlled for other important risk factors, diabetic patients are three times more likely to develop PD, and therefore, periodontitis has been proposed as the sixth complication of DM.

Besides the effect of diabetes on DP, the reverse has also been studied over the past 15 years, through the idea that chronic and acute infections can directly affect the tissue resistance to insulin. Recent studies have provided evidence that controlling periodontal infection has an impact on improvement of glycemic control in diabetes mellitus patients. The vascularity of the inflamed periodontal tissue serves as a gateway to inflammatory mediators, pathogenic bacteria and their products into the bloodstream. Some researchers have suggested that periodontal treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) patients, results in beneficial effect on the level of glycemic control. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support this hypothesis.

This research project aims to determinate the impact of periodontal therapy on metabolic control in DMT2 individuals, and determinate the possible association between periodontal disease and DMT2. For the HbA1c outcome this clinical trial had a sample size calculation estimated at 120 patients. For the inflammatory serum markers this study had a sample size estimated at 22 individuals. Blood samples will be collected for evaluation of Hba1c and inflammatory serum markers. This data will highlight the possible role of periodontal therapy on DMT2 metabolic control.