Oral Health Of Diabetes Patients Closely Linked To Heart Disease And Cancer Risk

From Medical News Today, October 3, 2011

According to researchers in the report “Oral health awareness in adult
patients with diabetes: a questionnaire study”, published in the latest
issue of the British Dental Journal (BDJ), several individuals who suffer with diabetes are not aware that their oral health is closely connected to their risk of developing complications.

The authors say that inflammation from gums that are swollen can increase the severity of diabetes, increase deaths from oral cancer
as well as pre-malignancies, and make cardiovascular disease worse.
They also explained that diabetes that is longstanding and poorly
controlled seems to speed up the development of gum disease. If gum disease is untreated, it can lead to loss of teeth.

However, a survey of that consisted of 229 adults visiting a diabetes
clinic, discovered that the majority were unaware of any connection
between dental health and their condition. Only 13% of participants were
aware that swollen or tender gums could be affected by the disease, or
vice versa, and only 12% knew there might be a connection between the
disease and loose teeth.

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