Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes many health problems that change the quality of life of people and is a very common chronic disease in our society. Gum disease has taken its place in the literature as the 7th complication of diabetes. I explained the relationship between these two diseases and what we should do in my blog post.
Diabetes mellitus (Diabetes Mellitus) is defined as a lifelong disease that occurs when the secretory gland called the pancreas cannot produce the desired level of insulin hormone or the insulin hormone it produces cannot be used effectively. In other words, diabetes is the body’s inability to use sugar as a result of the increase in the amount of sugar in the blood above normal, causing harm to the body.
It is estimated that there are around 171 million diabetic patients in the world and this number may increase to 366 million in 2030.
Symptoms indicating the presence of diabetes are; excessive water drinking, appetite, frequent urination day and night, dry and scaly skin, constant weakness and fatigue, delayed healing of wounds, sometimes blurred vision or loss of vision.
Diabetes patients also experience many changes in the mouth. These include bad breath, burning in the tongue, decreased saliva flow, dryness in the mouth, cracking in the corners of the lips, fungal formation in the mouth, and recurrent abscesses. Gum diseases, which manifest themselves with bleeding gums, are often associated with diabetes and can be seen as one of the chronic complications of diabetes. Especially in uncontrolled diabetes patients and individuals with irregular glycaemia control, it is very likely to develop gum diseases with bone loss, which we call periodontitis. Interestingly, with our current knowledge, we know that having gum disease (especially in cases of bone loss) is also a risk factor for diabetes. In other words, we can say that these two diseases have a bidirectional relationship that affects each other. Therefore, the care of teeth and gums is very important in diabetic patients.
In which cases should diabetic patients “especially” consult a dentist?
✓Bleeding gums
✓Gingival abscess
✓Bad breath
✓Teeth wobbling
✓Redness and swelling of the gums
✓Gum recession
✓Presence of maladapted prosthesis
✓Non-fitting prostheses
How can diabetic patients prevent tooth and gum problems and what should they do?
– Diabetes patients should brush their teeth regularly with fluoridated toothpaste. They should pay attention to use additional products such as dental floss and intermediate brushes for interface cleaning. Attention should be paid to the hygiene of removable dentures in the same way.
– It is important to maintain the level of glucose in the blood and to be under the control of a doctor.
– When a gum problem is noticed, a dentist should definitely be consulted.
– It is very important to consume plenty of water.
– Smoking should be avoided.
– Take precautions against existing problems before they progress by going to regular dentist control 2 times a year. You should inform your dentist about your disease.
The relationship between gum disease and diabetes is a good example of how a systemic disease increases the susceptibility to oral infection, and once infection occurs, oral infection exacerbates the systemic disease. Taking some precautions to prevent gum diseases, which is one of the common adverse risks of diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, and having your check-ups will make a great contribution to your quality of life.
