Diabetes Mellitus e doença periodontal

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease increasingly prevalent in developed countries and it is currently considered a serious public health problem in Portugal, with negative and significant repercussions both at the systemic level and at the oral level. According to several studies it is believed that at an intra oral level, one of the major complications of diabetes is the periodontal disease, which is considered as the 6th complication of this pathology by many clinicians. Periodontal disease is characterized by the inflammation of the tissues supporting the teeth and it may become evident in two ways: gingivitis (most prevalent) and periodontitis (less prevalent and more aggressive). However, it should be noted that if gingivitis isn’t treated early it may develop into a chronic periodontitis. The association between diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease has been investigated in recent years and several studies have concluded that diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for the development of gingivitis and / or periodontitis both in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Periodontal disease, when present, may worsen glycemic control in these patients. The interrelationship between these two pathologies shows how a systemic disease may predispose to an oral infection (because there is a decrease in the host response to periodontal infection) and how an oral infection may exacerbate a systemic pathology and worsen its metabolic control. Considering the relationship between these two diseases there should be an interaction between the internists and the dentists so that these patients may have adequate preventive care and persistent periodontal therapies in specialized medical dental clinics. Based on these facts, the present study aims to assess the possible relationship between diabetes and the periodontal disease, assessing its prevalence, its relationship with the social stratum, disease control and co morbidities associated with its own and therapies.

Date of Award	2013
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Leite Moreira (Supervisor)