NewsDetail
The link between diabetes and gum disease was the subject of a recent Academic Health System (AHS) lecture held at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The lecture entitled Inflammation in Periodontitis and Type 2 Diabetes was delivered by Dr. Thomas Van Dyke, Vice President for Clinical and Translational Research at the US-based Forsyth Institute, a leading independent research institute specializing in oral health and its impact on overall wellness.
Periodontitis is the more advanced form of periodontal (gum) disease where there is inflammation of tissues around the teeth that causes irreversible destruction of the hard and soft tissues, including bone loss. People with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk for serious gum disease because of increased inflammation that causes a decreased ability to fight bacteria that invade the gums.
Dr. Van Dyke discussed emerging research that suggests the combination of diabetes and periodontal disease can increase the risks associated with each condition as well as other diabetic complications, particularly heart disease.
“Excessive uncontrolled inflammation was originally thought to be reserved for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, but we now understand that periodontal disease and systemic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in fact have a very large inflammatory component,” said Dr. Van Dyke.
Dr. Van Dyke explained that if left untreated, periodontitis goes from a stable condition to an inflammatory condition that is uncontrolled. He emphasized the importance of good oral hygiene and regular professional dental care to prevent irreversible damage to the teeth and gums.
The lecture was attended by healthcare professionals across the AHS network of eight partners, including HMC, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, the Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar University and University of Calgary-Qatar.
Both periodontal disease and diabetes are common problems in Qatar, a main risk factor being the high incidence of obesity in the Qatari population. Diabetes is a priority focus of the Qatar National Health Strategy, which calls for interventions aimed at modifying the risk factors associated with diabetes, as well as developing and improving access to high-quality specialized health services for patients with diabetes and its related complications.
“There is a huge problem as far as oral health is concerned in Qatar, with about 89 percent of five-year-old schoolchildren having dental caries (tooth decay), and a large percentage of the population also having periodontal disease,” said Professor Johann de Vries, Chairman of HMC’s Department of Dentistry. “We have started discussions with the Forsyth Institute to begin a research collaboration in this area, and we have invited Dr. Van Dyke to visit Qatar so we can benefit from his expertise as one of the leaders in the top dental research institute in the world.”
