Bidirectional Relationship between Oral Health and Diabetes Mellitus: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease, known to be associated with several oral complications.A less well-known, but proven bidirectional relationship exists between diabetes and oral health, where one affects the other.Previous studies have shown a lack of awareness about this two-way relationship.This Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) study was undertaken to identify the gaps in awareness about diabetes mellitus and its association with oral health.Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the KAPs of diabetics and nondiabetics (ND) regarding the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and oral health.Methodology: This study was conducted at a tertiary dental care institute wherein 75 diabetics, both Type I and II and 75 ND were enrolled.A questionnaire was administered by the investigators, in which responses to various questions regarding their demographics, KAPs in the context of oral health and diabetes were collected.The Chi-Square test was utilized for statistical analysis.Results: 27.3% of respondents had no knowledge about the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and oral health.Although the majority (69.3%) considered regular dental check-ups to be important for good oral health, they were found to be lacking in their practices, where 51.3% followed once a day brushing routine and 71.3% did not know about flossing or interdental cleaning.Conclusion: The study highlights the gaps in KAPs of people regarding the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and oral health and thus emphasizes the need for educational interventions at the community level.