The Smile Factor
Can Gum Disease Boost Diabetes Risks?
You can make it harder to control your glucose levels if you neglect your teeth and gums – that we know. But now it appears that gum disease may contribute to the development of diabetes in the first place. According to Ryan T. Demmer, Ph.D., M.P.H., an associate research scientist in epidemiology at Columbia University, research has shown that &ldquo periodontal disease can precede the onset of type 2 diabetes.&rdquo In Diabetes Care, a study by Demmer and his colleagues looked at data on more than 9,000 people who were followed for 17 years. The researchers concluded that those who had moderate gum disease when they were first observed were twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes over the life of the study as those who had healthy gums. When gum disease was so bad that it caused substantial tooth loss, the risk of diabetes jumped by 70 percent. The takeaway? Conscientious dental care is imperative for anyone who is at risk for diabetes.