Bleeding gums may be an early sign of a larger health problem

A large-scale review published in The Lancet Public Health journal, covering more than 300 thousand people, revealed that there is a link between periodontitis (severe gum disease) and the likelihood of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the future.

It was determined that this relationship also works in the opposite direction, and diabetes increases the risk of gum disease and tooth loss in the future. These findings indicate that the link between oral health and metabolic health is stronger than expected.

The international team, led by periodontologist João Botelho from the Egas Moniz School of Health and Science in Portugal, examined 28 long-term studies from 16 countries.

In six studies, in which approximately 29 thousand participants were followed for 5 to 20 years, it was found that people with periodontitis at baseline had an 18 to 25 percent higher rate of developing type 2 diabetes during the follow-up period compared to individuals without the disease.

It was observed that people who had lost all their teeth were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the follow-up period. Similarly, it was noted that people who started the study as diabetics were more likely to develop periodontitis and experience tooth loss in later years.

Experts attribute possible causes of the relationship between the two conditions to constant inflammation in the mouth. Bacteria and inflammatory molecules that enter the blood from damaged gum tissue can cause inflammation in other parts of the body. This situation theoretically negatively affects the body's response to the insulin hormone, paving the way for insulin resistance, one of the main features of type 2 diabetes.

High sugar levels in the blood slow down the healing process, reduce the body's capacity to fight infections, and make diabetic patients more vulnerable to gum diseases.

It is stated that diabetes affects approximately 830 million people worldwide and oral diseases affect 3.7 billion people. Despite these high rates, oral health is not yet regularly incorporated into diabetes prevention and management strategies.

Source: TRT Haber Sağlık RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)