Oral health risks in patients with Type 2 diabetes
Investigators have examined the relationship between Type 2 diabetes and oral changes such as dental caries and salivary alterations.
In a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Dentistry, the investigators used the PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library databases to identify 28 studies exploring the link between Type 2 diabetes and dental caries and/or salivary alterations that met the inclusion criteria.
The investigators discovered that compared with those who didn’t have diabetes, the patients who did have Type 2 diabetes had higher decayed-missing-filled teeth scores, decreased salivary flow rates, lower salivary pH values and reduced salivary buffering capacity.
The findings suggested that patients with Type 2 diabetes may have a heightened risk of experiencing dental caries and salivary alterations. The investigators emphasized the need for oral health policies designed to improve the rate of dental caries in this patient population.
Read more: Journal of Dentistry
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