Periodontal Treatment May Help To Control Diabetes
September 22, 2009

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - A common treatment for periodontal disease may help control diabetes, says a review of research. But more research is needed.

People with uncontrolled diabetes have high blood sugar. Keeping blood sugar levels down can help reduce the risks of related health problems. These include:

• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Eye disease
• Periodontal disease

Periodontal disease is caused by the body's response to a bacterial infection in the mouth. Periodontal disease affects the gums and bones that support the teeth.

Scaling and root planing is a common treatment for periodontal disease. It involves a thorough cleaning of teeth above and below the gum. The roots of teeth also are smoothed. This makes it more difficult for bacteria to attach to them and grow.

Scientists and dentists want to know if this treatment would help people to control their blood sugar levels.

Two previous reviews looked at research on scaling and root planing in diabetics with periodontal disease. Those reviews did not find an obvious benefit. This latest review examined all 25 studies done since 1976 on this topic. Researchers then focused on only the nine strongest studies. They found that there is a small but significant advantage to scaling and root planing.

There would be an obvious benefit if scaling and root planing could reduce serious related health problems in diabetics, the reviewers noted.

The review appears in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.