HbA1c changes in patients with diabetes following periodontal therapy.

PURPOSE

This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in patients with both type 2 diabetes and chronic periodontitis.

METHODS

The intervention cohort (IC) comprised 133 patients with type 2 diabetes who received nonsurgical periodontal treatment, while the matching cohort (MC) included 4787 patients with type 2 diabetes who visited the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Asan Medical Center. The patients in each cohort were divided into 3 groups according to their baseline HbA1c level: subgroup 1, HbA1c <7%; subgroup 2, 7%≤ HbA1c <9%; and subgroup 3, HbA1c ≥9%. Changes in HbA1c levels from baseline to 6 and 12 months were analyzed. In addition, the association between changes in HbA1c levels and the number of periodontal maintenance visits was investigated.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant changes in HbA1c levels in the IC and MC or their subgroups when evaluated with repeated-measures analysis of variance. However, the IC showed maintenance of baseline HbA1c levels, while the MC had a trend for HbA1c levels to steadily increase as shown by pairwise comparisons (baseline to 6 months and baseline to 12 months). IC subgroup 1 also maintained steady HbA1c levels from 6 months to 12 months, whereas MC subgroup 1 presented a steady increase during the same period. The number of periodontal maintenance visits had no association with changes in HbA1c levels during the 1-year study duration.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with both type 2 diabetes and periodontitis, nonsurgical periodontal treatment and periodontal maintenance may help to control HbA1c levels.