Your teeth and your gums say a lot about your state of health. Visiting the dentist does more than just keep your teeth clean and fixed up. A dental visit allows your dentist to look for problems that may otherwise be missed. And now, research is showing another medical connection: gum disease and type 2 diabetes.
Researchers looked at the records of 2,923 adults, none of whom had yet been diagnosed with diabetes. The researchers collected data that could indicate that the subjects could be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, such as age, weight, and other diabetes risk factors (family history, for example). They took this information and compared the subjects with those who had been diagnosed with periodontitis, gum disease.
What was found that 62.9% of subjects who did not have periodontitis and 93.4% of those with periodontitis met guidelines set by the American Diabetes Asssociation for needing diabetic screening.
Interestingly, only 33.9% of those who were at risk and who had periodontitis had seen a dentist within the previous six months, half within the past year, and 60.4% within the past two years.
The study findings, published in the most recent issue of Journal of Public Health Dentistry, gives the medical profession another tool to help find people who may otherwise not be diagnosed. Diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, is predicted to possible reach epidemic proportions in countries like the United States. Yet, it’s one of the most preventable diseases in most cases. Teamwork could help reduce the effects of such a serious disease.
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Image: PhotoXpress.com
Post from: Blisstree