A dental hygiene perspective in the detection of diabetes mellitus.

The number of Americans with diabetes mellitus has increased 50% since 1983 to 16 million. An interesting and startling factor is that only half of these diabetics are aware they have the disease. Diabetes mellitus can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney failure, and periodontal disease. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. A metabolic disorder affecting insulin metabolism and associated blood glucose intolerance regulation, diabetes may be classified by the following categories: type I-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus which is commonly found in children and adolescents and type II-non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes which occurs in patients over forty and is associated with obesity. The dental hygienist's role in education, prevention, and therapeutics has expanded to detection and recognition of oral manifestations of diabetes. The dental hygienist may be the first to recognize the presence of the disease. This article aims to acquaint the dental hygienist with the clinical picture of a dental patient with diabetes mellitus.