Prevalence of dental caries among patients with type 2 diabetes and without diabetes attending an outpatient clinic in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries can be an oral sign of poor glycaemic control in individuals with Diabetes Mellitus. We aim to describe the prevalence of dental caries and the stages of caries and dental extractions between patients with diabetes and without diabetes attending outpatient clinics. We also aim to describe the association of dental caries with the duration of diabetes.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to March 2023 using an interviewer administered questionnaire and oral examination at the outpatient medical clinic. Data were analysed under means, standard deviations and chi square. P value was set at .05.Results: Out of 439 in this study group, 50.3% had diabetes 49.7% did not have diabetes. Their respective FBS means(SD) were 7.59 ±2.47) and 5.35 (SD ± .78) which were significant (p< .001). Patients with diabetes (172 had significant prevalence of caries than those without diabetes (151) p= .042). The prevalence of different stages of caries also showed significant differences between patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes (p= .033). Severity of dental caries was not associated with the duration of diabetes (p= .866). Previous tooth extractions in patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes were not significant as participants who had extractions were 213 and 202 respectively (p= .569). Further, patients with diabetes (137) had higher prevalence of unsatisfactory oral hygiene than in those without diabetes (100) participants (p< .001).Conclusions: Prevalence of dental caries was significantly higher in patients with type 2 diabetes than in those without. There was a significant difference in the severity of dental caries between the two groups.