A different approach

It has become increasingly clear that, in many cases, a holistic approach to oral health care is beneficial for patients. This means assessing each patient’s overall health and ensuring the cause of any issues is effectively treated. Often, when general and dental health problems are linked, it can be helpful to work together with general practitioners to treat the patient as a whole. With this in mind, consider the association between periodontitis and systemic diseases such as diabetes. What is the link, and what can dental teams do to help?

Diabetes as a risk factor for periodontitis

Globally, 537m people have diabetes, with 61m people in Europe living with the condition. It is a chronic non-communicable disease, caused by either insufficient (type one) or ineffective (type two) insulin, which regulates blood glucose. Because of this, diabetic patients can experience either hyperglycaemia (elevated blood glucose) or hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).