Association between diabetes and periodontitis: A cross sectional study based on findings from Tromsø 7 study

Abstract

The 2017 reports published by Diabetesforbundet Norway showed an estimated 378 000 people living with diabetes (28 000 with Type 1 and 350 000 with Type 2). Mealey et al. (2006) showed that diabetes increases the risk for periodontitis, influenced by inflammatory processes. The formation of inflammatory molecules (e.g. Advanced glycation end products) leads to gingival attachment loss, periodontal pockets, bleeding; and in prolonged situation, it results in alveolar bone defects and subsequent tooth mobility/loss. On the contrary, a study by Kowall et al. (2015) observed that people with pre-diabetes and well-controlled diabetes are not at risk for periodontitis. Due to an insufficient number of studies for diabetes-periodontitis relationship especially in Northern Norway, this cross-sectional study aims to examine the association between diabetes and periodontitis, among those who participated for dental examination of Tromsø 7 study.