Gum Disease—The ‘Sixth’ Major Complication of Diabetes

Why is gum disease significant to me as a diabetic?

As a diabetic, you have a poorer immune response to infection. If your diabetes is not well-controlled, you are more likely to have periodontal disease. You may also develop abscesses (gum boils). Abscesses are swellings of the gums that have become infected and are often painful. The presence of periodontal disease may also affect your body’s ability to process and use insulin. This may cause your diabetes to be more difficult to control, resulting in your periodontal disease becoming more severe than a non-diabetic.

What other symptoms may I have?

In addition to being more susceptible to periodontal disease, you may also experience:

• Delayed wound healing (mouth ulcers, tooth sockets after extractions, oral surgical wounds)
• Decreased or reduced flow of saliva
• Burning sensation in the mouth or the tongue

These symptoms are more likely to occur if your diabetes is not well-controlled.

How can I prevent Periodontal Disease?

Since bacteria in plaque cause the disease, you have to remove plaque from your teeth daily by careful, effective brushing and flossing. Regular visits to your dentist are also necessary. Your dentist will check the status of your gums and teeth, and perform a professional cleaning to remove the calculus and plaque that has built up in areas that have missed out during your own cleaning. If you have already been treated for periodontal disease, you will require more frequent visits to your dentist to check for recurrence of disease for you maintenance care.

Diabetes is a serious disease in which the body loses its ability to control the level of sugar in the blood. It is caused by either a deficiency in insulin production, or an inability of the level body to utilize the hormone.

It’s essential for diabetics to monitor and keep their condition under control. While some control their diabetes with insulin, most control it through medication, diet and exercise. In addition, if you are a diabetic, you need to keep your mouth and gums free from infection, as this may have a significant impact on the control of your diabetes.

Diabetics have a higher prevalence of periodontal disease as well as more severe and more rapidly progressive forms of periodontal disease than non-diabetics. Individuals with poorly controlled blood sugar levels also tend to exhibit more periodontal disease than well-controlled diabetics.