Poor dental health may be related to other risks

New Delhi, Mar 20: People with poor oral health may have an increased risk of developing diabetes, a new study warns.

Researchers found a positive relationship between the number of missing teeth people had and glucose intolerance.

"We found a progressive positive relationship between worsening glucose tolerance and the number of missing teeth," said lead author Raynald Samoa from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California.

For the study, presented at the ENDO 2018: The Endocrine Society's 100th Annual Meeting and Expo, researchers reviewed the records of 9,670 adults with 20 years of age and above who were examined by dentists during the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

They analysed their reported body mass index (BMI) and glucose tolerance states by fasting plasma glucose, two-hour post-challenge plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), established diabetes and whether the condition was treated with oral agents or insulin.