Diabetes

Overview
  • Adults 20 or older with diabetes are 40% more likely to have untreated cavities than similar adults without diabetes.1
  • There is an association between having diabetes and periodontal (gum) disease, a leading cause of tooth loss.2,3,4
  • About 60% of US adults with diabetes had a medical visit in the past year, but no dental visit.1
  • Expanding health care coverage for periodontal treatment among people with diabetes could save each person about $6,000 (2019 US dollars) over their lives.5
  • Adults 50 or older with diabetes lack functional dentition (have fewer than 20 teeth) 46% more often and have severe tooth loss (8 or fewer teeth) 56% more often than adults without diabetes.6
  • Adults 50 or older with diabetes are more likely to report that they have a hard time eating because of dental problems.7
  • Annual dental expenditures for an adult with diabetes are $77 (2017 US dollars) higher than for an adult without diabetes. This cost translates to $1.9 billion for the nation.8
  • Treating periodontal disease significantly improves blood sugar level (glycemic control) among people with diabetes compared to no treatment or routine care.9

Featured Diabetes Infographics

References

  1. Wei L, Griffin SO, Parker M, Thornton-Evans G. Dental health status, utilization, and insurance coverage among adults with chronic conditions: implications for medical dental integration in the US. J Am Dent Assoc. 2022;153(6):563–571.
  2. Chávarry, Nilo Guliberto Martins et al. The relationship between diabetes mellitus and destructive periodontal disease: a meta-analysis. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2009;7(2):107–127.
  3. Sanz M, Ceriello A, Buysschaert M, et al. Scientific evidence on the links between periodontal diseases and diabetes: consensus report and guidelines of the joint workshop on periodontal diseases and diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation and the European Federation of Periodontology. J Clin Periodontol. 2018;45(2):138–149. doi:10.1111/jcpe.12808
  4. Kassebaum, N J et al. Global burden of severe tooth loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res. 2014;93(suppl 7):20S–28S. doi:10.1177/0022034514537828
  5. Choi, Sung Eun et al. Impact of treating oral disease on preventing vascular diseases: a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of periodontal treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(3):563–571. doi:10.2337/dc19-1201
  6. Parker ML, Thornton-Evans G, Wei L, Griffin SO. Prevalence of and changes in tooth loss among adults aged ≥50 years with selected chronic conditions — United States, 1999–2004 and 2011–2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(21):1141–1145.
  7. Griffin SO, Jones JA, Brunson D, Griffin PM, Bailey WD. Burden of oral disease among older adults and implications for public health priorities. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(9):e3–e4.
  8. Chen Y, Zhang P, Luman ET, Griffin SO, Rolka DB. Incremental dental expenditures associated with diabetes among non-institutionalized US adults aged ≥18 years old in 2016-2017. Diabetes Care. 2021;44(6):1317–1323.
  9. Simpson TC, Clarkson JE, Worthington HV, et al. Treatment of periodontitis for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2022;4(4): CD004714. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004714.pub4