Association between Periodontal Health Indicators and Glycemic Control in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Observational Study

Background: Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may have a bidirectional relationship. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between periodontal indicators and glycemic control in adults with T2DM. Methods: A total of 120 adults with T2DM participants were categorized as having adequate (HbA1c <7%) or inadequate glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7%). Spearman correlation was performed and multivariable logistic regression was used to compare indicators of periodontal disease. Data were considered statistically significant if the p value was <0.05. Results: Mean age was 55.19 ± 9.99 years, and median HbA1c was 7.15% (IQR: 6.40–8.20). Poor control was found to be correlated with increased plaque levels, gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss and percentage of sites with PPD ≥5 mm (p<0.05). A lack of control was associated with severe periodontitis (60.3% vs 32.7%; p=0.005). HbA1c was found to be positively associated with plaque, gingival index, probing pocket depth and PPD ≥5 mm, and negatively associated with tooth count (ρ=−0.292; p=0.001). Severe periodontitis was associated with greater odds of inadequate control (AOR=6.38; p=0.009) while the number of additional teeth had inverse association (AOR=0.85; p=0.004). Conclusion: The poorer periodontal status was related to sub-optimal glycemic control. Further prospective studies are needed to better understand these relationships, and to guide the integration of dental and diabetes care.