Proper chewing may improve blood sugar levels for diabetes patients

In a study published in PLOS ONE on April 14, 2023, Mehmet A. Eskan, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics and Endodontics at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Buffalo, demonstrated that patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) who have full chewing function have a blood glucose level that is significantly lower than patients whose ability to chew effectively is impaired.

The retrospective study looked at data gathered from 94 patients with T2D who had been seen at an outpatient clinic in a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The patients were divided into two groups: the first group included patients who had good “occlusal function” —enough teeth placed properly and making contact in such a way that a person could chew their food well. That group’s blood glucose level was 7.48. The second group couldn’t chew well, if at all, because they were lacking some or all of those teeth; their blood glucose level was almost two per cent higher, at 9.42.