The relationship between clinical attachment loss and the duration of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was any relationship between the clinical status of periodontal tissues and the duration of diabetes mellitus. Seventy-seven children and adolescent patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were compared with 77 systemically healthy control subjects. Fasting blood glucoses, fructosamine, and glycosylated haemoglobin values were determined. The mean periodontal pocket depths, clinical attachment levels, and parameters to assess diabetes mellitus were attained.
Results showed a positive correlation between the duration of diabetes and clinical attachment loss, but not probing depth, plaque index, or gingival index in the diabetic group. Fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, and haemoglobin A1 values were significantly higher in diabetics. A correlation between fructosamine, and gingival index, and the duration of diabetes and clinical attachment loss in diabetics was found. These authors were not able to find any correlation between gingival bleeding and duration of diabetes.
This study examines a young patient population and the results must be remembered as such; that is, not to transpose this information on to an older patient pool. But this study does give support to the idea that the diabetic patient, with increased duration of disease, has increased severity of periodontitis. [D.H.]
Firatli E., O. Yilmaz, and U. Onan, J Clin Periodont, 23:362, 1996