Unscrambling the Periodontitis-Diabetes Connection

By Evanthia Lalla, DDS, MS

A large body of evidence has demonstrated that diabetes mellitus and periodontitis are closely linked. Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic metabolic disease that remains incurable. Its main characteristic is hyperglycemia that is caused by defects in the production and/or action of insulin, a hormone that regulates glucose metabolism. Diabetes can lead to serious health complications, including heart attack, stroke, retinopathy, kidney disease, neuropathy, and early death. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 diabetes is more common and has many established risk factors (Table 1).

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