Periodontal findings in individuals with newly identified pre-diabetes or diabetes mellitus

AimTo assess the periodontal status and number of missing teeth in patients with newly identified pre-diabetes or diabetes mellitus. MethodsA total of 1097 subjects with previously undiagnosed diabetes were available for study, and were categorized into normoglycaemic, potentially pre-diabetes or potentially diabetes groups based on a point-of-care (POC) HbA1c test. ResultsIn fully adjusted models, significant differences were observed between all groups for the per cent of teeth with at least one site with a probing depth of 5mm. For bleeding on probing, there were significant differences between diabetes and pre-diabetes (p=0.001), and between diabetes and normoglycaemic groups (p=0.002). For missing teeth, there were significant differences between the pre-diabetes and normoglycaemic groups (p=0.034), and the diabetes and normoglycaemic groups (p=0.004). ConclusionsIndividuals with previously unidentified pre-diabetes demonstrate a level of periodontal destruction between that observed for normoglycaemic individuals and persons with diabetes. These data emphasize the association of oral findings to dysglycaemia, and suggest that periodontal disease and tooth loss can be early complications of diabetes mellitus.