The effects of diabetes mellitus on patients' oral health.

OBJECTIVE

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Diabetic Federation (IDF) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), there is an annual increase in the number of diabetes mellitus patients. At the same time, the incidence and prevalence rate of major dental diseases in Ukraine remains high. Oral health is one of the direct measures indicators of the population's health. The aim: To study the features of the oral health status of diabetes mellitus patients, incidence and prevalence of dental caries, the extracted teeth rate; to assess the effect of oral health on quality of life.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: A standard oral health survey of 220 female and male patients with diabetes mellitus aged 40 to 60 was conducted. The patients are under dispensary observation at the Vinnytsia Regional Endocrine Dispensary. Dental caries incidence and prevalence indices were calculated. A questionnaire survey of the patients was conducted to collect the information about the self-rating of oral health status, quality of life and social status. The statistical data were processed using Microsoft Excel. The assessment of significance of the surveyed indices difference was carried out using Student's test. Dynamics of morbidity in the surveyed group of patients was studied.

RESULTS

Results: The caries incidence rate by the DMFT Index for all the surveyed patients was high. Within the DMFT Index structure, in all age groups, conspicuous is a high percentage of extracted teeth. Dental caries prevalence comes to 100% in all surveyed groups; 78 % of the surveyed reported a pain-induced quality of life deterioration, discomfort or other oral problems.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Diabetes mellitus has a direct effect on oral health. The level of medical and preventive dental care for diabetes patients must be raised.