Most Frequent Oral Lesions in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is a chronic disease caused by the underproduction of insulin in the organism and it is considered a risk factor to periodontal disease.

This study performed a cross-sectional research on the main oral changes in patients with DM2 and nondiabetics, in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The sample included 116 patients examined at the Diabetes Outpatient Clinic of the School of Medicine of the University of Passo Fundo (UPF) and 134 nondiabetic patients examined at the Examinations, Triage, and Emergency Sector of the School of Dentistry of UPF. Inclusion criteria for the study were patients over 35-years old, diagnosed with DM2 for more than 2 years. The same criteria were used for the control group, except for the presence of diabetes. Data collected were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 18.0 for Windows™ software and the Chi-square test at 5% significance. This study showed that, overall, oral lesions were more prevalent in diabetic patients.

The stomatological manifestations observed more frequently in such patients were pseudomembranous candidia-sis, lichen planus, lingual varices, xerostomia, and prosthetic stomatitis (p > 0.001).

Therefore, based on the sample investigated, it is concluded that patients with DM2 present higher prevalence of oral lesions when compared with nondiabetics.

It is important for the dentist to know about oral lesions because they may allow either early diagnosis in patients unaware of this condition or help diagnosing a potential decompensation. Moreover, oral lesions may represent a potential gateway for infectious agents, and the dentist may restrain this condition by performing treatment as early as possible.