Prevalence of dental caries in patients with type II diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus, a common disease of the 20th century, has been linked with a higher risk of incidence of caries, gingivitis and periodontal disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in patients with type II diabetes mellitus and to compare them to those recorded in a control group with no systemic illnesses. Eighty-six thousand patient records were reviewed between June 2019 to March 2020. A total of 200 diabetic patients and 200 control group patients (without any systemic illness) with age group between 30-60 years were included in the study. Cross verification of data was done using RBS values and the patient's medical history. The collected data were tabulated using Microsoft Excel and analysed using SPSS. Incomplete data were excluded from the study. Statistical analysis was done using a chi-square test. In our study, we observed that diabetic individuals had a higher number of caries than control groups. (p<0.05) Individuals above 50 years of age had a higher number of active caries compared to other groups. (p>0.05) The males affected were higher in number than females. (p>0.05) Most individuals with active caries fell in the RBS range of 200-250 mg/dl. Within the limits of the study, diabetic patients showed an increased number of active caries when compared to the control group. There was no significant association between age, gender and RBS values.