Rome, May 4 (beraking latest news Salute) – ‘Double screening’ by dentist and diabetologist to break the vicious circle between diabetes and periodontitis. In a joint document of the Italian Society of Periodontology and Implantology (Sidp), the Italian Society of Diabetology (Sid) and the Association of Diabetic Doctors (Amd), the criteria for the early diagnosis of the two diseases, linked to a double thread and a concrete threat, have just been established. for the health of 12 million Italians. The 8 million patients with periodontitis, the extensive inflammation of the gums, are in fact 20% more likely to develop diabetes; the approximately 4 million diabetics have periodontitis as the sixth most frequent complication.
With a few simple questions, the dentist will be able to identify patients with gingival inflammation for whom a blood glucose test is appropriate, while the diabetologist during the periodic visit will have to pay attention to symptoms such as bleeding, swelling or gum pain and hypersensitivity or dental mobility, inviting patients at annual dental check-ups even in the absence of symptoms. “Periodontists – explains Luca Landi, Sidp president – can play a key role in the interception of people at high risk of developing diabetes and in the early diagnosis of this disease in those who do not know they are affected: from today there is a tool shared to do so, thanks to the new joint Sidp-Amd-Sid document that establishes the rules for screening. The dentist can identify patients who should be tested for blood glucose simply by asking them a few questions “.
“It is advisable – underlines Landi – that all over 45 with periodontitis who have not checked blood sugar levels for over 3 years and all patients with a body mass index greater than 25, therefore overweight, should undergo a blood sugar test. or obese, who have at least one of the risk factors such as family history of type 2 diabetes, hypertension or ongoing antihypertensive therapy, low HDL cholesterol and / or high triglycerides, sedentary lifestyle. In women, these are factors There is a risk of giving birth to a newborn weighing more than 4 kilos or polycystic ovary syndrome. It is equally important to pay attention, during the visit, to symptoms reported by the patient and indicative of diabetes such as polydipsia and polyuria, recurrent genitourinary infections, decrease in weight and asthenia “.
On the other hand, the diabetologist, in addition to informing his patients of the greater risk of periodontal disease and of the red thread that links the two diseases, can contribute to the screening of periodontitis by asking the patient during the control visit if he has bleeding, swelling or discomfort. gingival, hypersensitivity or mobility of the teeth, halitosis. In addition to suggesting patients to contact the dentist in case of dry mouth, burning or the appearance of whitish patches indicative of mycosis, the diabetologist should also motivate them to undergo annual checks even in the absence of pain or other symptoms, given the prevalence of periodontitis in diabetics.
The document also recommends doctors to inspect the oral cavity, with particular attention to the gums, at the first visit and subsequent checks. “Periodontal disease – affirms Agostino Consoli, president of the Italian Diabetes Society – must certainly be counted among the pathologies to which people with diabetes are, in relation to non-diabetics, more prone. It can in fact be considered one of the complications of diabetic disease. first screening of periodontal disease (both anamnestic and inspection) must certainly be part of the diabetic visit but, above all, the person with diabetes should also be educated by the diabetologist about oral hygiene and encouraged to undergo regular oral hygiene sessions “.
“Diabetes and periodontitis are two closely related conditions. Diabetes can be associated with an increase in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis, with a risk for the person with diabetes up to 2-3 times greater than for a person who does not,” he comments Paolo Di Bartolo, president of Amd.
“The watchword – he continues – is once again prevention. Through screening interventions it will be possible to guide those subjects who ignore their condition to an early diagnosis of diabetes with the aim of intervening promptly and reducing the risk of complications. The collaboration launched together with Sidp and Sid confirms the importance of providing assistance that is as integrated as possible to protect the health of our people “.
In addition to the joint document intended for doctors, Sidp, Sid and Amd have also signed a decalogue aimed at patients, which diabetologists will be able to distribute in their clinics: simple rules of prevention and management of oral health that can improve the understanding of diagnostic paths and the control of oral risk factors, also to the benefit of metabolic management. “By promoting interventions to combat risk factors for mouth diseases, dentists implement an approach called ‘contrasting common risk’: in practice, the benefits of their preventive initiatives are spread not only on the protection of oral health but also on extra-oral conditions that recognize the same risk factors “, concludes Nicola Marco Sforza, president-elect SidP.