Teeth Health in Patients with Diabetes or Cardiovascular Disease: A Current and Updated Review

The recently published article reported that approximately 500 million individuals live with diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide. It is well known that individuals with systemic diseases have a higher risk of developing dental problems. This review aims to update the association between dental problems in people with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

By searching PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, an evaluation of scientific texts (n=120) was conducted based on the subject of attention.

The strong association between periodontitis and atherosclerotic CVD suggested that patients with severe periodontitis are at an increased risk of developing CVD. In such conditions, dentists should be aware of dysfunctions associated with the saliva, which can individually increase the incidence of caries. The conditions related to the extraction sockets could be worsened due to inflammation, immune, endocrine, and neural aspects in patients with hyperglycemia. Periodontal disease is the sixth most common complication of diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is considered the most common cause of hospital admission. There is a higher chance of periodontal disease and tooth loss in patients with diabetes. Periodontitis could be associated with glycemic control.

Using subgingival instrumentation, accompanied by indigenous or total antimicrobials, and occasionally by surgical intervention to remove gum tissue when periodontitis is severe, restores glycaemic control in individuals with both periodontitis and diabetes. Oral dysbiosis could be associated with the aortic valve due to bacteria.

Intervention and routine dental check-ups are recommended in patients with CVD and diabetes to reduce periodontal inflammation.