Newsletter
NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Periodontal disease has been associated with a number of systemic diseases, and there has been evidence that periodontal therapy may improve glycemic control in diabetics. A recently published study, however, has suggested that patients with diabetes may require more intensive periodontal treatment.
In the study, 514 participants aged 35 and over with both type 2 diabetes and moderate to advanced chronic periodontitis were equally separated into a treatment group and a control group. The first group received scaling and root planing plus chlorhexidine oral rinse at the start of the study and periodontal therapy at three and six months; the second group received no treatment for six months.
Overall, the study showed that nonsurgical periodontal therapy did not improve glycemic control in patients with diabetes and periodontitis. At six months, the researchers reported no significant difference between groups with regard to changes of their glycated hemoglobin levels.
"It is important to note that the nonsurgical periodontal therapy employed in this study did not eradicate periodontal disease, which may be why researchers did not see an effect on glycemic control," said Dr. Stuart J. Froum, a professor at the New York University Dental Center. "Every patient requires an individualized treatment plan, which may include either nonsurgical periodontal care or more advanced treatment," he added.
The study, titled "The Effect of Nonsurgical Periodontal Therapy on Hemoglobin A1c Levels in Persons With Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial," was published online on Dec. 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was conducted by researchers at New York University in collaboration with University of Minnesota, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of Texas at San Antonio.
