Treating Gum Disease May Aid Diabetics

Treating gum disease may help diabetic patients improve sugar control, according to Spanish researchers.

Study authors Antonio Bascones and Dr. Ricardo Faria-Almeida, of the department of medicine and buccofacial surgery of the Complutense University in Madrid, found periodontal therapy may reduce a diabetic patient’s HbA1c count by as much as 20 percent three and six months following treatment.

The American Diabetes Association said that the HbA1c provides patients with a picture of their average blood sugar changes in the past two to three months and gives them a good idea of how well their diabetes treatment plan is working. The ADA says a healthy HbA1c count is between 4.0 to 6.0.

We found that conventional treatment for chronic moderate generalized periodontitis, which included a simple, non-surgical procedure called scaling and root planing, lowered the study group’s HbA1c count from 7.2 to 5.7, said Bascones.

However, Bascones cautioned that the findings, published in the Journal of Periodontology, should not be considered definitive because of the study sample size.