Periodontitis diabetica. A case report from Nigeria.

A 16-year-old female presented with severe chronic periodontitis and previously unsuspected diabetes mellitus. Her diabetes was mild initially. As the periodontitis improved with antibiotics, het diabetic control worsened because she was able to eat more. In the light of their personal observations and this case report, the authors believe there to be a direct association between diabetes mellitus and periodontitis.