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Item
#9
Gum
Disease May be Tied to Diabetes
ANTIBIOTIC
CURBS BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS and brushing, flossing could stave off
common form of disease
According
to Sara Grossi, clinical assistant professor of oral biology at
the University of Buffalo in New York and the studies’
supervising scientist, GUM
DISEASE may even be more important than obesity or age as a factor
in the onset of diabetes in adults,.
One study, presented at a meeting of the International
Association of Dental Research in San Diego, measured glucose
control in 75 members of Pueblo Indian communities in Santa Fe,
N.M., who had both type 2 diabetes and severe gum disease, after
treatment with various antibiotic regimens.
ANTIBIOTIC CURBS BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
Results showed blood sugar
levels could be reduced and kept at a lower level most effectively
with a single dose of oral antibiotic and repeated application of
a topical antibiotic to the gums. The effects were equal to and
independent of those induced by diabetes medication, the
researchers said.
“The study shows that in
this group of severe diabetics we were able to increase glucose
control with repeated treatment of their periodontal infection,”
Grossi said.
Another study involving Pima
Indians from the Gila River Indian community in Mesa, Az., who
have the high reported rates of both diabetes and gum disease,
showed that blood sugar levels don’t fall, even when sufferers
have lost all of their teeth and, by definition, no longer have
gum disease.
Grossi
noted that in this population, tooth loss is due almost entirely
to gum disease because the high level of natural fluoride in the
region’s water supply prevents the cavities that contribute to
tooth loss in other populations.
The
study found that toothless participants had blood sugar levels
equal to or higher than those seen in patients with severe gum
disease. They also had diabetes for a longer time.
Grossi said the study
underscores the importance of prevention and early treatment of
gum disease in people who are at risk of developing diabetes.
In a third study, the
University of Buffalo researchers showed that using antibiotics to
treat gum disease decreases two markers of inflammation throughout
the body.
The
inflammatory markers area associated with the development of
atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases. “This is an
important finding because we have come to understand that heart
disease has a substantial inflammatory component,” Grossi said.
International
Association of Dental Research March 2002
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FACT:
There
are over 25 million people in the US with IGT (Source: Diabetes
2001 Vital Statistics)
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