Diabetes and periodontal disease

With the increasing incidence of diabetes in our patient population, the dental professional needs to be vigilant in recognizing the oral manifestations of diabetes and also be prepared to monitor and treat the diabetic patient who presents to their office for dental care. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: As dental professionals, with the increasing incidence of diabetes in our patient population, we can succesfully clinically address periodontal disease concerns in patients with diabetes by closely monitoring the health status of their periodontal tissues and targeting therapy to reduce their risk of progressive periodontitis.