[The influence of the "age factor" on periodontal conditions in the diabetic patient]

Conflicting reports exist in dental literature on the relationship of diabetes mellitus to periodontal disease. Among the controversies about this relation, the role played by the age of patient has been widely investigated. Some authors, in fact, reported an increased prevalence and severity of gingivitis and periodontitis in children and young individuals with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in comparison to healthy subjects, while other researchers were not able to confirm this finding. In particular some authors postulated the hypothesis that the diabetic state could influence periodontal conditions just after the age of 30-35. The aim of the present study has been to verify this hypothesis. One hundred thirty-two subjects participated in this study; among them 66 were IDDM patients and 66 were healthy controls comparable to the diabetics for the main epidemiological features. In particular, control subjects were similar to the diabetics for oral hygiene level in order not to attribute eventually occurring differences by mistake to the diabetic state instead of to a not comparable amount of bacterial plaque present on the teeth. Among 66 IDDM patients 33 were younger than 30 (medium age = 14; extremes: 6-22) and were indicated as DG (young diabetics) group; others 33 were older than 30 (medium age = 45.1; extremes: 31-66) and were indicated as DA (adult diabetics) group. A similar differentiation was made in the control group obtaining, in this way, two subgroups (CG = young controls and CA = adult controls). In the diabetic groups males were 53% while among controls they represented 58%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)