"Diabetes and gum disease: the diabolic duo"

Diabetes and periodontitis have long been linked in the dental literature but have never been substantiated. Periodontitis is an oral infection affecting the tooth-supporting tissues. Although the etiology for this condition is bacterial plaque, the host immune response may also mediate destruction of the periodontal tissues. Diabetes mellitus is intricately related to the development, progression and severity of periodontitis. The literature is abundant with studies depicting this association.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex disease with varying degrees of systemic and oral complications. The periodontium is also a target for diabetic damage. In recent years, a link between periodontitis and diabetes mellitus has been postulated. The present review highlights the relationship between diabetes mellitus and periodontitis. The potential mechanisms involved in the development of periodontitis in diabetic patients, influence of periodontitis on diabetes and the role of TNF-α, a prime inflammatory mediator linking both of them have been discussed.

Diabetes clearly increases the risk of periodontal diseases, and biologically plausible mechanisms have been demonstrated in abundance. Less clear is the impact of periodontal diseases on glycemic control of diabetes and the mechanisms through which this occurs. It is possible that periodontal diseases may serve as initiators or propagators of insulin resistance in a way similar to obesity, thereby aggravating glycemic control.