Periodontal and caries experience in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

This study compared the periodontal and caries experience of young patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) with a nondiabetic population of the same age. The plaque scores of children with IDDM were statistically higher. The caries experience of a child with closely monitored IDDM and a family history of diabetes was significantly lower than that of a child with IDDM and no such family history, even though the gingival and plaque indexes of both children were the same.