Oral Health in Patients With Type II Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To assess the influence of type II diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance on dental, periodontal, and oral mucosal tissues. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined 11 subjects with type II diabetes, 32 with impaired glucose tolerance, and 43 control subjects from the oral physiology component of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. At the time of the study, none of the participants was taking medication nor being treated for any medical problems other than diabetes. RESULTS Only a few statistically significant dental and periodontal changes were apparent in the group with type II diabetes, and no oral mucosal differences existed between the diabetes and control groups. Dental, periodontal, and oral mucosal parameters in patients with impaired glucose tolerance were essentially indistinguishable from the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that among well-controlled individuals with type II diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, few appreciable differences are evident in oral health.