Impact of oral health education and a non-surgical periodontal therapy on the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of oral health education and non-surgical periodontal therapy on the quality of life for a group of patients with type I diabetes mellitus, in Iasi, Romania. Materials and Method: The study was conducted on 21 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus which also presented a form of periodontitis. We examined: the degree of glycaemic control (by measuring the glycated haemoglobin), the periodontal and oral hygiene parameters at the baseline and after 4 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after the periodontal treatment which consisted in scaling and root planning. The patients also filled an OHIP-14 questionnaire at baseline and 6 month after the periodontal therapy to assess the quality of life. Results and Discussion: We observed a rapid recurrence of the deep periodontal pockets after 12 months in subjects with poor glycaemic control. At baseline, the highest scores for the OHIP-14 were in the sub-domains of pain, discomfort on chewing and self-consciousness. Conclusions: The prolonged poor control of glycaemia is closely related with its complications. The periodontal therapy improved (lower values) the domain codes and final score of the OHIP-14 questionnaire, proving that periodontal health has an impact on the diabetic patients ' quality of life.