Diabetics With Foot Ulcers Have More Gum Disease
July 27, 2010

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH -- Diabetics with foot ulcers also are much more likely to have some oral-health problems, a study concludes.

The study was done in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Researchers included 122 people with type 2 diabetes. Each was examined for neuropathic foot ulcers. These are sores on the feet. They are caused by nerve damage and changes in blood circulation, two common results of uncontrolled diabetes.

Among people with healthy gums or only mild periodontal disease, 18% had foot sores. In people with moderate to severe periodontal disease, 68% had foot sores. In those who had lost all of their teeth, 62% had the sores.

People with moderate to severe periodontal disease were nearly 7 times as likely to have foot ulcers as people who had no or mild periodontal disease. People who had lost all of their teeth were about 5 times as likely to have foot ulcers.

The authors concluded that diabetics with foot sores are at risk for periodontal disease and tooth loss. They suggest further studies. Other research has found that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease.

The study appears in the July 14 issue of the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.