Oral health status in children with type I diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with varied etiology and diverse clinical course. World Health Organization (WHO) has distinguished three types of diabetes mellitus: insulin-dependent (Type I), non insulin-dependent (Type II) and associated with other disease and syndromes. Type I diabetes patients account for approximately 10% of all diabetics, in which children and adolescent almost exclusively develop Type I diabetes. Diabetes can be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, such as excessive thirst appetite, polyuria, body weight reduction, glucosuria and hyperglycaemia, confirmed by laboratory test. Acute complications may develop in the course of diabetes, usually related to extreme level of plasma glucose. Chronic complications usually developed secondary to micro-vascular changes, causing damages to small vessels, nerves, multiple organs and oral cavity. The systematic review summarized the available evidence on the oral health of children with Type I diabetes mellitus. A total of 1179 abstract were retrieved during the initial search, and after exclusion, only 37 articles were qualified for final review and analysis. Though there was conflicting evidence regarding caries experience, it is clear that children with Type I diabetes mellitus exhibited poorer overall oral health status with higher plaque accumulation compared to healthy children. The case-control study aimed to evaluate and compare the oral health status of children with Type I diabetes mellitus with healthy, non-diabetic controls in Hong Kong. A sample of 64 children (32 Type I diabetes mellitus, 32 age- and gender-matched controls) were included in the study. The study concluded that children with Type I diabetes had poor oral health status with greater plaque deposition when compared to healthy, non-diabetic controls.