Periodontitis management in diabetes care.

Periodontitis is the chronic inflammation of the oral cavity involving the gum, teeth and the supporting bone. Since it appears to have a similar pathophysiology as other microvascular complications of diabetes it can be considered to be the fourth chronic microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. There is a three-fold increase in risk of periodontal disease among patients with diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis in diabetes is associated with increased myocardial infarctions, strokes and renal related complications, poor glycaemic control and an increase in the risk of dying of cardiorenal causes. However, treatment of periodontal disease has been demonstrated to improve glucose control and reduce inflammatory markers. Improvements in periodontal health among patients with diabetes mellitus can be achieved with better oral health education, oral examination in diabetic clinics during regular visits and annual dental examinations by qualified dentists. Dental treatments for periodontal infections include mechanical disruption of the pathogenic biofilm using scaling and planing, use of systemic antibiotics to treat refractory pathogens and specialized dental surgery in advanced disease.

"Orocrinology": Seven Easy Steps!

A complete examination of the oral cavity is a neglected part of physical examination and is not taught in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. We believe that a thorough oral examination helps in the identification of a variety of endocrine disorders and so to emphasize this, we have proposed the term "orocrinolgy." Orocrinology is the art of using a Thorough oral cavity examination to diagnose a variety of adult and pediatric endocrine disorders. Under "orocrinology," we have highlighted an easy to perform a seven-step technique to perform a complete examination of the oral cavity. The common endocrine-related abnormalities that you might encounter during each of these seven steps is summarized along with the steps. The seven steps start with the examination of the salivary glands, followed by the lips. This is followed by the examination of labial, buccal, alveolar, and gingival mucosa in two steps. The fifth step is the Inspection of the tongue and the base of the mouth followed by the sixth step, which is the evaluation of the palate, uvula, and tonsils. The final seventh step is the examination of the hard structures in the oral cavity, which includes the teeth, mandible, and the maxilla.