Oral Health in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a chronic autoimmune disease with the first clinical manifestations occurring mostly in childhood. In most European countries including the Czech Republic, its incidence has been rising.Diabetes has been thoroughly investigated by all medical specialties, yet, many clinical issues have remained unclear. There have been a number of studies published also in dentistry; however, unambiguous conclusions have been reached only concerning the relationship between diabetes and periodontal diseases. A number of studies have shown higher amounts of dental plaque and increased incidence of chronic gingivitis in both adults and children with diabetes. Periodontitis in children is rare both in healthy subjects and in children with type 1 diabetes. Yet some of the findings of well-performed studies (such as confirmed differences in oral microbial flora or impacts of diabetes compensation and complications on periodontal health) indicate a higher risk of periodontitis in children with type 1 diabetes. Regarding the impact of diabetes on dental caries development, the results of clinical trials are inconsistent. However, it has been confirmed that some of minor caries risk factors are more or less prevalent in a diabetic population compared to a non-diabetic control group. Quantitative and qualitative salivary changes in diabetics have also been confirmed, even though particular detailed results of individual studies vary. Oral health studies focusing on behavioural features of diabetic patients yield even more interesting insights.The results of studies investigating the relationship between diabetes type 1 and oral health clearly indicate the need for continued, thorough research in this area.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus type 1
• oral health
• periodontal diseases
• dental caries