Awareness among health care professionals regarding interrelationship between diabetes mellitus and periodontal diseases: A step towards interprofessional collaborative practice

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the level of awareness among health care professionals regarding interrelationships between diabetes mellitus (DM) and periodontal diseases. Material and Methods: A self-administered, structured questionnaire based on scientific literature, and practice was distributed among 100 non-oral health care professionals (NOHCP) and 100 oral-health care professionals (OHCP) for assessment of their awareness regarding DM and periodontitis interrelationship (DPI). One hundred fifty-four (154) participants who responded and returned the questionnaire were interviewed to avoid any obscurity pertinent to the questionnaire and to obtain their suggestions or recommendations. Twenty-seven participant’s questionnaires were excluded due to non-availability for interview to clarify the information given. Responses of 127 participants were finally statistically analyzed. Results: Almost 79% of OHCPs were aware of the DPI. About 9% of OHCPs did not agree with DPI and 11% of them were “unaware” about the DPI. Similarly, about 65% of NOHCPs were aware of the DPI. About 15% of OHCPs did not agree with DPI and 19% of OHCPs were “unaware” about the DPI. Conclusion: A limited awareness was observed among health care professionals participating in the present study for DPI, highlighting a gap of knowledge, attitude, and practice for DPI, which was higher among NOHCP than OHCPs.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Towards Oral Health and Periodontal Disease in Diabetic Patients among Libyan Physicians

“…The physicians in our study were aware (90%) that PD and DM are linked, which is much higher than what is reported in the literature for physicians understanding the interrelationship between the two diseases where it is estimated to be about (50-56%). 20,[22][23][24] In a previous study, (56.7%) of the medical professionals were aware of the bidirectional relationship between systemic and periodontal diseases, while (38.6%) of them were aware of the relationship in one of either direction only. 25 The awareness of the Libyan physicians' understanding that PD can affect glycemic control was over (70%) and equivalent to what is reported in the literature for other healthcare professionals which ranges between (65-76%).…”

Markers, Pathways, and Current Evidence for Periodontitis-associated Insulin Resistance

“…[ 93 ] However, it has often been ignored to be an imperative element of “interprofessional collaborative management approach” for T2D. [ 2 ] Therefore, oral and non-oral (medical) health professionals should line up efforts in the management of T2D-susceptible subjects with periodontitis.…”

“…[ 1 ] Epidemiological studies have observed a rapidly increasing trend in DM epidemic mainly in Indian subcontinent countries. [ 2 3 ]…”