Periodontal disease in juvenile and adult diabetic patients: a review of the literature.

Epidemiologic studies have suggested that the severity of periodontitis is greater in juvenile and adult onset diabetes. In juvenile diabetic patients, the periodontal disease seems to be initiated around puberty and progresses by age. Reviewing the medical literature indicates a similar age of onset for known systemic complications resulting from diabetes. Angiopathy, abnormal collagen metabolism, abnormal PMN function, and altered sulcular microbial flora have been found to be closely associated with the severity of periodontitis in diabetic patients. The association between abnormal neutrophil function and severity of periodontal disease in diabetic patients provides an opportunity for examining the role of neutrophil in periodontal disease. Future investigation in the function of sulcular PMN may shed light on the complex mechanism of periodontal disease.