Diagnosing Diabetes in the Dental Chair
Now that I blogged a little bit about the importance of oral health for people with diabetes and how their oral health can be affected by the disease, I'd like to write about an article recently published by the American Dental Association on how diabetes can be diagnosed in the dental chair.
A recent study on over 600 participants in a dental clinic in Manhattan found that most of the patients that had undiagnosed diabetes or were pre-diabetic tended to have two oral health factors in common. Almost all of those patients had a similar number of missing teeth and a similar percentage of deep periodontal pockets. Those two factors together allow the dentist to recognize the signs for at-risk individuals earlier which may help the patient to better control their diabetes and may help limit the development of serious complications.
Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes and since more people see their dentist on a regular basis than their doctor, having the ability to help diagnose diseases that affect the whole body in the dental chair is another positive to dental visits. Scheduling regular dental checkups will not only benefit your oral health but could help to keep your overall health in check.
Source: Oral and Dental Care Articles & News |Oral Hygiene, Dental Health Information and Resources | Colgate®
R. Eric Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
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