Abstract
Objective: Investigate if there is an association between apical periodontitis and diabetes mellitus. Material and methods: A bibliographic search was performed on Medline/PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases using the keywords apical periodontitis and diabetes mellitus. Published papers written in English and performed on animals or humans were included. Meta-analysis was performed using the OpenMeta (analyst) tool for the statistical analysis. The variables analyzed were the prevalence of Apical Periodontitis (AP) among teeth and patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Results: Of the total studies found, only 21 met the inclusion criteria. Ten clinical studies on animals, ten studies on humans and a systematic review were included. Meta-analysis shows that the prevalence of teeth with apical periodontitis among patients with diabetes mellitus has an odds ratio of 1.166 corresponding to 507 teeth with AP + DM and 534 teeth with AP without DM. The prevalence of patients with AP and DM shows an odds ratio of 1.552 where 91 patients had AP + DM and 582 patients AP without DM. Conclusion: Scientific evidence suggests that there could be a common physiopathological factor between apical periodontitis and diabetes mellitus but more prospective studies are needed to investigate the association between these two diseases.
Highlights
The International Diabetes Federation states that in the year 2015, there was 415 million adults with diabetes in the world; this means that the number of people living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980
If we focus on Europe as an example, 37% of the population is over 50 years old and it is estimated that this number will increase to 44% by the year 2030, which means that a high increase of patients with diabetes is expected [5]
The variables analyzed were the prevalence of Apical Periodontitis (AP) among teeth and patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM)
Summary
The International Diabetes Federation states that in the year 2015, there was 415 million adults with diabetes in the world; this means that the number of people living with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by an inadequate carbohydrate, lipidic and protein metabolism, its primary aspect is hyperglycemia. This hyperglycemia acts as the main cause of incidence and progression of microvascular complication associated with the disease (retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy) [2]. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels test is considered the gold standard to control patients with diabetes (HbA1c) ≥6.5%. This test measures the average glycaemia of the last 2–3 months, allowing to assess the effectiveness of the treatment that the patient receives [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
