Oral Cancer, Periodontitis And Diabetes
Associate Dentist, Peter Reece, explains why diabetics should pay particular attention to their oral health
It goes without saying that we believe that all of our Burton patients should pay close attention to their oral health, but some groups are at a higher risk of problems than others. One of these high risk groups are diabetics. With just under 4 million diabetics in the UK, and with figures expected to hit 5 million by 2025 (1), this is a sizeable portion of the UK population who are especially prone to some serious, and potentially life threatening, oral health issues.
Naturally, anyone living with diabetes will have a number of health issues to be concerned about, and it may be tempting to consider that dental care is not one of the most important ones. Recent research though, has shown that this is definitely not the case.
Oral cancers
Research just published in Diabetologia has noted that women have a 13% higher risk of oral cancer if they are also diabetic. Whilst diabetes is not the only contributing factor to this potentially fatal disease, a 13% rise is certainly something to take seriously. If you have diabetes and also smoke or drink regularly, the risks are even greater.
So, what can you do to prevent, or at least, reduce the chances of contracting this disease? The most obvious way is to stop smoking and cutting down on your alcohol intake. This will, at least, reduce risks that you are largely in control of. Making sure that you take any medication and following any other advice provided by your GP, will also play an important role in managing your diabetes.
It is also critical that you see one of the dentists at Mike Allen’s Dental Practice, for an oral health check up, on a regular basis. For most patients, this is usually every six months, but for diabetics, we recommend that these are more frequent. Not only will this help to keep other dental problems under control, but will also enable us to detect any potential indicators of mouth cancer at an early stage. Currently, the five year survival rate for mouth cancer is approximately 50%. If the disease is detected and treated early though, this then rises to 90% (2). It is not just fatalities that can be avoided though; Quality of life will be improved if the cancer is detected and treated earlier. Surgery to treat oral cancers may cause some facial disfigurement, and the sooner the cancer is treated, the less extensive this effect should be.
Periodontitis
Although the above figures for oral cancer are worrying, the figures also indicate that the majority of diabetics will not succumb to the disease, though this does not mean you should ignore the risks, of course. One problem that is much more common in diabetics is that of gum disease, namely gingivitis and periodontitis. Once again, regular and ongoing dental check ups will enable our Burton dental team to detect any problems in their early stages. Provided that this is done, gum disease can usually be managed in a straightforward manner through the use of regular ‘scale and polish’ procedures to remove the tartar, or calculus, from the teeth and the gum line.
Where infrequent checks are made on any patient, but especially on diabetic patients, there is a very real risk of the problem becoming more serious and the disease spreading to the roots of the teeth and the surrounding bone. At this stage, not only are you likely to be suffering from soreness and bad breath, but the roots of your teeth may loosen, and, potentially lead to the loss of some of your teeth.
It is also worth mentioning that a seemingly ever increasing amount of medical research has linked gum disease with other serious health problems, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s. There is also some evidence that gum disease may be an early warning of diabetes!
The risks of diabetes can be reduced through a better diet and healthier lifestyle. Whilst this may help to reduce the numbers, a life living with diabetes is a reality for millions of people in the UK and needs to be managed carefully. As part of this management, you should see your dentist and dental hygienist on a regular basis, to keep your mouth as healthy as possible. With the risks of not doing so being potentially life changing or even life threatening, ignoring this advice is simply not worth the risk.
Dentist Dr Peter Reece (GDC 59019)
1. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/statistics