DIABETES
The Department of Periodontology at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) found a link between gum disease and pre-diabetes.

Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classed as full-blown type-2 diabetes. It is often a precursor of full blown diabetes type-2.

Prior to the study, people with diabetes had already been shown to have a higher risk of gum disease but it now appears that the relationship works both ways – with severe gum disease causing blood sugar levels to rise.

Study Author, Dr. Carla Pontes Andersen, said: “The gum inflammation seen in periodontitis can allow bacteria and inflammatory substances from the dental structures to enter the bloodstream.

These processes seem to affect blood sugar control.”

• Pontes Anderson, Flyybjerg et al; Journal of Periodontology, July 2007, p1264-1275