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Oral health and oral health behaviour in a population of diabetic outpatient clinic attenders
Author(s) -
Jones Ray B.,
McCallum Richard M.,
Kay Elizabeth J.,
Kirkin Val.,
McDonald Paul
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1992.tb01717.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , etiology , oral health , population , outpatient clinic , affect (linguistics) , dentistry , family medicine , environmental health , endocrinology , linguistics , philosophy
The control of oral health in individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus may affect a diabetic individual's insulin requirements. This study examined the oral health status and behaviours of a group of diabetic patients and compared the results to those obtained in a recent UK national survey of oral health. The results showed that, despite reporting higher levels of oral self‐care, the diabetic population suffered from higher rates of caries than “normal” individuals. These differences could not be accounted for by the treatment received from dentists. It is concluded that diabetic patients are more caries prone than the general population and that the cause of this difference should be sought, as the traditional aetiological agent for caries cannot account for the increased caries rate. If the aetiology of the findings of this study were determined, progress could be made in the search for indicators of increased caries risk.