Knowledge Levels and Attitudes of Internists About the Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and Diabetes

Abstract

AIMS: Periodontitis is a multifactorial, chronic inflammatory disease that can cause irreversible damage to the supporting tissues surrounding the teeth and consequently tooth loss if left untreated, and has been listed as the sixth major complication of diabetic patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the knowledge levels and attitudes of internists about the relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes. METHODS: In our study, our questionnaire with 22 questions was applied to internists via whatsapp®, e-mail and directly. Participants were asked about specific periodontal complications that they believed patients diagnosed with diabetes were more susceptible to, and their awareness of the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal diseases was evaluated. 112 internists answered (45% male, 55% female) our questionnaire. RESULTS: 70% of the internists participating in our survey are between the ages of 25-35. 92.7% of internists know that the department that diagnoses and treats gingival diseases is the periodontology clinic. Despite this, only 72.7% refer their patients with gingival bleeding to the periodontology clinic. 58.4% of internists reported that they did not learn about the relationship between periodontal disease and systemic health during medical school education, and 89% stated that the effect of periodontal disease on systemic health should be explained in medical school education. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontal disease and diabetes are thought to share a common pathogenesis that includes increased inflammatory response at local and systemic levels, and it is known that there is a bidirectional relationship. Therefore, successful treatment of both will affect each other positively. It has been observed that internists have knowledge about diabetes and periodontal disease in Turkey, but it is thought that it would be beneficial to consider the relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease in more detail within the education program of the medical faculty.