The oral complications of diabetes are often ignored

Diabetes UK recently estimated that people with diabetes are three times more likely to develop gum disease than those without diabetes.¹

Periodontal health has been under-recognised as an additional complication of living with diabetes, and is sometimes referred to as the 'sixth complication'. ²

Researchers in Newcastle have found that periodontitis occurs more commonly in children and young adults with type 1 diabetes and is three times more common in people with type 2 diabetes than those without diabetes.³

Nurses need to be more diabetes aware and to appreciate that diabetes is a major risk factor for increased incidence of periodontitis, and gum disease should be considered as a potential sign of pre-diabetes.