A Look at the Connection between Periodontal Disease and Diabetes

Last updated 10 months ago

Your dentist can list many good reasons to maintain good oral and periodontal (gum) health, and here’s one more: There is a scientifically-proven connection between gum disease and diabetes. To learn more about how these two supposedly disparate conditions are linked, keep reading.

It has long been observed that dental patients with diabetes are more likely to suffer from gum disease. They also tend to suffer from more severe cases of periodontitis than people without a diabetic condition. Gum disease is not a side effect of diabetes, but because it is the result of an infection it seems to more easily be able to take root in diabetics, who are at heightened risk for infections in general.
Infections of the gum can actually result in higher levels of blood sugar, which is something diabetics strive to avoid. Receiving dental treatment for periodontal disease has been proven to help lower blood sugar in diabetics, which in turn means better overall health. Better control of your dental problems can result in significantly better control of your diabetes, so it’s especially important for diabetics to remember to keep up on their routine dental visits.
Even though the link between the two diseases is not clear, researchers have found that in a 20-year study, people who suffered from untreated dental and gum infections were more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. It is known that infections can wreak havoc on all parts of the body, resulting in a suppressed immune system response and a higher resistance to insulin, which may lead to the development of diabetes.

Keep your teeth, gums, and entire body healthy with regular dental checkups with the Belmont Dental Group. Check us out on the Web or call (617) 484-2431 to make an appointment today.