Minor manifestations of periodontal diseases in young adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Periodontal and microbiological findings

Management of periodontal disease in patients with diabetes- good clinical practice guidelines: A joint statement by Indian Society of Periodontology and Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India

There is a huge body of literature suggesting an association and a bidirectional relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes. Diabetes and periodontal diseases are both chronic diseases with a high prevalence. Dentists/periodontists, in their daily clinical practice, very often attend to diabetes patients with diverse oral health conditions and cater to their dental treatment needs. Safe and effective periodontal therapy in this population requires a broad understanding of diabetes, medical management of diabetes, and essential modifications to dental/periodontal therapy that may be required. This paper describes a joint statement put forth by the Indian Society of Periodontology and the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India aiming to provide expert consensus and evidence-based guidelines for optimal clinical management of periodontal conditions in diabetes patients or patients at risk for diabetes. Although this paper is not envisioned to be a comprehensive review of this topic, it intends to provide the guidelines for dental professionals and periodontists.

Diabetes as a risk factor for periodontal disease-plausible mechanisms

The present narrative review examines the scientific evidence of the biological mechanisms that may link periodontitis and diabetes, as a source of comorbidity. Publications regarding periodontitis and diabetes, in human, animals, and in vitro were screened for their relevance. Periodontal microbiome studies indicate a possible association between altered glucose metabolism in prediabetes and diabetes and changes in the periodontal microbiome. Coinciding with this, hyperglycemia enhances expression of pathogen receptors, which enhance host response to the dysbiotic microbiome. Hyperglycemia also promotes pro-inflammatory response independently or via the advanced glycation end product/receptor for advanced glycation end product pathway. These processes excite cellular tissue destruction functions, which further enhance pro-inflammatory cytokines expression and alteration in the RANKL/osteoprotegerin ratio, promoting formation and activation of osteoclasts. The evidence supports the role of several pathogenic mechanisms in the path of true causal comorbidity between poorly controlled diabetes and periodontitis. However, further research is needed to better understand these mechanisms and to explore other mechanisms.

An update on the evidence for pathogenic mechanisms that may link periodontitis and diabetes

AIM

To provide an update of the review by Taylor (Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2013, 40, S113) regarding the scientific evidence of the biological association between periodontitis and diabetes.

METHODS

Literature searches were performed using MeSH terms, keywords and title words and were published between 2012 and November 2016. All publications were screened for their relevance. The data from the articles were extracted and summarized in tables and a narrative review.

RESULTS

Small-scale molecular periodontal microbiome studies indicate a possible association between altered glucose metabolism in pre-diabetes and diabetes and changes in the periodontal microbiome, with no evidence for casual relationships. Clinical and animal studies found elevated gingival levels of IL1-β, TNF-α, IL-6, RANKL/OPG and oxygen metabolites in poorly controlled diabetes. In addition, individuals with diabetes and periodontitis exhibit high levels of circulating TNF-α, CRP and mediators of oxidative stress, and successful periodontal treatment reduces their levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated pro-inflammatory factors in the gingiva of patients with poorly controlled diabetes suggest a biological pathway that may aggravate periodontitis. Some evidence suggests that the systemic inflammatory burden in periodontitis has the potential to affect diabetes control, but no studies addressed the impact of successful periodontal therapy on the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in systemic complications of diabetes.

Are selected IL-1 polymorphisms and selected subgingival microorganisms significantly associated to periodontitis in type 2 diabetes patients? a clinical study

Background

We evaluated the periodontal conditions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to metabolically healthy controls, and determined whether periodontal interleukin genotypes and microorganisms differed between participants with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

From April 2011 to July 2012, we prospectively enrolled healthy controls and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Evaluation included assessment of medical and periodontal findings. We also recorded the presence of several interleukin gene variants and specific microorganisms, both available through commercially available diagnostic kits. Statistical significance was tested by the chi-square test and student’s t-test.

Results

We enrolled 52 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 52 healthy controls. Compared with controls, periodontal disease was significantly more severe in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus for the following: plaque index, bleeding on probing, pocket probing depth, clinical attachment loss, severe periodontal destruction (i.e., clinical attachment loss ≥ 5 mm), and number of teeth. However, statistical analysis failed to detect significant differences with respect to the periodontal-related interleukin genotypes (p ≥ 0.58) or the selected oral microbiota (p ≥ 0.15).

Conclusion

Based on these results, it may be assumed that chronic periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is most strongly associated with inadequate oral hygiene. Periodontal interleukin genotypes and differences in oral microbiota seem to play a subordinate role.

Effect of β-anhydroicaritin on the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and matrix metalloproteinase-3 in periodontal tissue of diabetic rats

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of β-anhydroicaritin on the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, and the pathological changes in the periodontal tissue of diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats (n=40; three months old) were randomly divided into four groups: Normal control group, diabetes group, diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group and diabetes + urate group, (n=10 in each group). Following an overnight fast, diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin. The rats were maintained for 12 weeks and the blood sugar, urine sugar and body weight were assessed in week 12. Histological changes of the periodontal tissues were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the expression levels of TNF-α and MMP-3 were observed by immunohistochemistry. Following 12 weeks, the TNF-α grey value in the diabetes group was significantly lower compared with that in the control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed between TNF-α levels in the diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group, diabetes + urate group and the control group (P>0.05). However, TNF-α levels in the diabetes + β-anhdroicaritin group and diabetes + urate group were significantly higher compared with those in the diabetes group (P<0.05), and those in the diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group were lower compared with those in the diabetes + urate group (P<0.05). The MMP-3 grey value in the diabetes group was significantly lower compared with that in the control group (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed between MMP-3 levels in the diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group, diabetes + urate group and the control group (P>0.05). However, MMP-3 levels the diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group and diabetes + urate group were significantly higher compared with those in the diabetes group (P<0.05), and those in the diabetes + β-anhydroicaritin group were lower compared with those in the diabetes + urate group (P<0.01). β-anhydroicaritin normalized the expression levels of TNF-α and MMP-3 in the periodontal tissue of diabetic rats and led to the recovery of the changes in the morphological structure of the periodontal tissue.

Relationship of clinical and microbiological variables in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and periodontitis

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to analyze how metabolic control of type 1 diabetes is related to clinical and microbiological periodontal parameters.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study involved 56 subjects aged from 19 to 50 years divided into 2 groups: healthy subjects (the H group), and diabetic (type 1 diabetes) patients with chronic untreated generalized periodontitis (the DM group). The glycosylated hemoglobin value (HbA1c) was determined using the UniCel DxC 800 SYNCHRON System (Beckman Coulter, USA), and the concentration in blood was measured by the turbidimetric immunoinhibition method. A molecular genetic assay (Micro-IDent plus, Germany) was used to detect periodontopathogenic bacteria in plaque samples. Periodontitis was confirmed by clinical and radiological examination.

RESULTS

Fusobacterium nucleatum, Capnocytophaga species, and Eikenella corrodens were the most frequently found bacteria in dental plaque samples (77.8%, 66.7%, and 33.4%, respectively), whereas Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was identified 40.7% less frequently in the DM group than in the H group. The strongest relationship was observed between the presence of 2 periodontal pathogens - F. nucleatum and Capnocytophaga spp. - and poorer metabolic control in type 1 diabetes patients (HbA1c) and all clinical parameters of periodontal pathology.

CONCLUSIONS

Periodontal disease was more evident in type 1 diabetic patients, and the prevalence of periodontitis was greatly increased in subjects with poorer metabolic control.