ADA Forsyth Institute Professor and Director of the Center of Clinical and Translational Research Hatice Hasturk, D.D.S., Ph.D. joined the European Federation of Periodontology’s podcast, Perio Talks, to speak about the relationship between diabetes and gum disease.
Alongside Dr. Luigi Nibali, professor of periodontology at King’s College London, Dr. Hasturk explained the interactions between diabetes and periodontitis. She also discussed opportunities that lie with periodontists in informing patients about systemic health risks, integrating care between medical and dental clinicians, and the progress researchers have made over the past decade in connecting periodontitis with systemic diseases. Listen to the EFP Perio Talks podcast here and read more on this topic here.
“We can confidently say based on the level of evidence that both diseases do affect each other,” Dr. Hasturk said.
While the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes is not causal, it is considered a “two-way street.” Diabetes increases the risk and severity of gum disease, while gum disease can heighten blood sugar.
Treatment of periodontal disease, Dr. Hasturk said, can lead to improvements in diabetic conditions. Research showed that periodontal treatment for diabetic patients led to improvements in A1C.
“We should not be shy or modest to say that periodontal treatment is doing only a little change in A1C. Even a little change in A1C would create a big benefit for patients,” Dr. Hasturk said.
Informing the patient about increased risk and opportunities to control diabetes can be a strong opportunity for periodontists to engage in improvement of overall health for patients, said Dr. Nibali.
