The Effect of Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy on Glycemic Control and Bacterial Levels in a Mexican-American Population With Type 2 DiabetesS

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become a significant pandemic with more than 7% of the population in the United States affected. Moreover, up to one-third of these individuals may not be aware of the diagnosis and, are not involved in treatment. In the Mexican-American population, prevalence rates may be up to 50%. Contributing factors such as poor education, low household income, language barriers and restricted access to medical services may increase this prevalence. The association between periodontal disease and diabetes has been well documented; however, interventional studies have resulted in conflicting conclusions on improvements in glycemic control following periodontal therapy.

Diabetes and periodontal disease share common pathways in pathogenesis, such as their polygenic nature and immunoregulatory dysfunction. To answer these questions, we, the investigators, propose this randomized controlled trial designed to elucidate how treatment of periodontal disease can be used for preventive and therapeutic purposes in a diabetic population as well as to study the role of IL-1 gene cluster polymorphisms as a risk factor for the presence of periodontitis in a Hispanic T2DM population. Our central hypothesis is that the Mexican-American T2DM population in Texas is at risk for an increased presence and severity of periodontal disease due to the presence of Il-1 gene cluster polymorphisms; furthermore we suggest that providing non-surgical periodontal therapy to this group will decrease the bacterial load associated with disease and as a consequence, will improve glycemic control as measured by HbA1c values. Our long-term goal is to study risk factors associated with the presence of periodontal disease and to understand how the treatment of periodontal disease can be used for preventive and therapeutic purposes in a Hispanic type 2 diabetic population.