A new study, published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, has found that the treatment of serious disease of the gums in people who suffer from diabetes helps to reduce their levels of blood sugar. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh and supported by colleagues at the Peninsula Dental School, the University of Ottawa and UCL Eastman Dental Institute, have discovered that reducing inflammation of the gums in people who suffer from diabetes may help to minimize the complications they have with diabetes.

Their findings suggest that the treatment of periodontal disease can reduce blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes, although there was not enough available evidence to support the same benefit for those with Type 1 diabetes.

A team of dental researchers from Canada said that their findings highlighted the need for dentists and doctors to work together in the treatment of people with diabetes.

Terry Simpson, lead author at the Edinburgh Dental Institute, said that this research confirms that there may be a connection between people who suffer from serious disease of the gums and people who suffer from diabetes.

The findings are key because many patients and health care professionals do not necessarily make the association between the treatment of gum disease and the control of blood sugar levels.

The most critical aspect of the management of diabetes is by far is the utilization of diet, drugs, and insulin to control the levels of blood sugar, however, maintaining proper dental health is one thing that healthcare professionals and patients alike also need to recognize.

Type 1 diabetes is the type of diabetes that typically develops in children and young adults. In Type 1 diabetes the body stops making insulin and the blood glucose level goes very high. Treatment to control the blood glucose level is with insulin injections and a healthy diet.

Type 2 diabetes occurs mainly in people aged over 40, although it is affecting a growing number of younger people. The ‘first-line’ treatment is diet, weight control and physical activity.