Introduction

Periodontitis has been defined as an inflammatory disease of specific bacterial origin that progresses with episodic attachment loss.  The destructive process of periodontitis is thought to begin with the accumulation of biofilms, which contain significant bacterial masses on the tooth surface at or below the gingival margin.¹  Continued destruction is thought to occur as a result of the host inflammatory response against these bacteria and from the release of toxic products from the pathogenic plaque bacteria.²  Periodontal disease often involves numerous and complex causes and symptoms.  Ultimately, decisions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of disease in an individual patient must be made by the treating practitioner in light of the specific facts presented by that patient.³

Dentists frequently treat patients with systemic diseases, such as diabetes, that can affect the course and management of periodontal disease.  Systemic conditions, defined as naturally occurring or induced states that exert general effects throughout the body, are now considered to be secondary factors modulating periodontal disease initiation, rather than the primary etiologic factor.  Current emphasis is on evaluating risk factors for periodontal disease.⁴

Several investigators have reported a higher incidence and severity of periodontal disease in type II diabetic patients as compared with non-diabetic controls.^3-9

A positive association between variations in the blood glucose level and the degree of periodontal disease was reported in type II diabetes mellitus.  One study demonstrated loss of attachment is greater in controlled diabetics ages 30-40 with a disease duration of over ten years.⁹  More gingival sites with bleeding on probing have been reported in poorly controlled diabetics than in well-controlled or moderately controlled groups.¹⁰  Periodontitis now is considered the sixth common complication of diabetes mellitus.¹¹

The aim of the pilot study was to assess the relationship between periodontal disease and blood glucose level among type II diabetic Saudi subjects examined at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Citation Number: Vol. 2, No. 4, Page 019