The Relationship Between Diabetes and Gum Disease

Endocrine disorders and hormonal disorders can directly cause gum disease, as well as disrupt tissue response, affect wound healing mechanisms, and secondarily adversely affect the course of gum disease.

Diabetes (uncontrolled) in particular causes many long-term serious conditions. These are conditions that occur as a result of wound healing mechanisms being affected and the person's response to infections being affected.

Cracks at the corners of the lips, increased tendency to infection, dry mouth, burning in the tongue and tissues, decreased saliva flow, changes in the oral flora (especially an increase in fungal content), and consequently increased tooth decay, gum disease, abscess problems, tooth loss, bleeding, bad breath, delayed or abnormal wound healing. Of course, all these situations will cause distress to the general condition of the diabetic patient, and cause a vicious cycle that makes it difficult to solve oral and dental problems in uncontrolled diabetes.

In summary, diabetes is a risk factor for gum disease, while gum disease is also considered a complication of diabetes. It is an intertwined cause-and-effect relationship.

What should be done when faced with these two diseases that are so closely related to each other?

A detailed oral examination of the diabetic patient should be performed to quickly determine the infection foci and their treatments. Afterwards, it is mandatory to direct the patient to the doctor who follows the patient for diabetes with a consultation explaining the planned procedures before starting the treatment. The cooperation with the medical doctor will clean the infections in the mouth and also ensure that the patient's diabetes is brought under control. Because we know that the infection foci in the mouth will definitely throw diabetes out of control.

If diabetes, like any other disease, is under control, there is no dental treatment that cannot be performed on a diabetic patient. The most important rule is that the patient-dentist-medical doctor work in cooperation, and the patient follows the control periods and home care rules without neglecting them. Advice for diabetic patients: They should never neglect routine general medical and dental check-ups. If they do not neglect the routine treatment and control periods that dentists will create for them, both their general health and oral-dental health will be secured.