[Periodontal diseases and treatment needs in diabetes type 2]

to determine the prevalence of periodontal disease and the needs for treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) in a rural population.

a transversal descriptive study with bivariate analysis was carried out. Gender, age, smoking habit and blood glucose levels were obtained from the clinical files in 94 cases. A periodontal examination was carried out by the Periodontal Index of Community Treatment Needs.

the ratio woman-man was 3:1. Age rate was from 35 to 75 years, with a mean of 53.4. Fifty two percent of the subjects had been diagnosed in the last five years; 78 percent of the subjects were moderately and badly controlled on diabetes parameters; 96.8 percent of the individuals had moderate to severe periodontal disease with the need for specialized periodontal treatment.

the chronic mouth infections should be seriously considered for an adequate metabolic control of diabetic patients.