A University of Gothenburg thesis by dentist Anna Trullenque Eriksson found that people with diabetes face greater risks for oral health problems, based on a large dataset from seven Swedish registers.
Key findings:
- Periodontitis & tooth loss:
- Type 1 diabetes: Risk increased only with poor blood sugar control. Over 10 years, 43.5% with poor control lost one or more teeth vs. 25.3% with good control and 29.0% of controls without diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes: Risk was elevated regardless of glycemic control, but strongest with poor control. 54.9% with poor control lost one or more teeth over 10 years vs. 44.0% with good control and 37.8% of controls.
- Dental implants: Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes were associated with higher risk of peri-implantitis (inflammation/bone loss around implants) and implant loss. Poor blood sugar control was a key factor for worse outcomes.
- Complications & social factors: Periodontitis was linked to higher risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney complications in both types. Complete tooth loss risk was especially high for people with diabetes who had lower income or less education. Data included Sweden and Denmark.
The study reinforces the link between diabetes and oral disease and suggests dental care should be part of diabetes prevention. It also provides new evidence that diabetes may affect long-term success of dental implants. Anna Trullenque Eriksson notes that collaboration between healthcare and dental providers is important.