[Relationship diabetes mellitus-periodontal disease: etiology and risk factors]

The interrelation between diabetes mellitus and inflammatory periodontal disease has been intensively studied for more than 50 years, a real bidirectional influence existing between patient's glycemic level disorder and periodontal territories alteration. Several studies developed in this direction emerged to the evidences that reveal a general increase of prevalence, extent and severity of gingivitis and periodontitis. Inflammation plays an important role in this interrelation, orchestrating both the periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus pathogeny and complications. Conversely, periodontal disease--infectious disease characterized by a significant inflammatory component--can seriously impair metabolic control of some diabetic patient. Moreover, treatment of periodontal disease and reduction of oral signs of inflammation may have a beneficial result on the diabetic condition (1). Less clear are the mechanisms governing this interrelation (even the literature is abundant in this direction), and, very probably, periodontal diseases serve as initiators of insulin resistance (in a way similar to obesity), thereby aggravating glycemic control. Further research is so imposed in order to clarify this aspect of the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease.