RESUMO
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease defined by hyperglycemia, which is associated with periodontal disease and exerts an effect on bone metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine serum levels of sclerostin in postmenopausal women with diabetes and determine a possible association with periodontal disease. Sixty-one postmenopausal women (32 with diabetes and 29 without diabetes) were evaluated. Blood was collected for biochemical analysis and the determination of serum sclerostin. The participants were also submitted to a clinical examination for the evaluation of periodontal status. A total of 75.4% of the volunteers had periodontal disease and levels serum sclerostin were altered in 48.7% of the patients with diabetes. In the diabetic population, mean levels of LDL (p = 0.035) and urea (p = 0.032) were higher in the patients without periodontal disease and the plaque index was higher in those with periodontal disease (p = 0.039). The prevalence of periodontal disease and the levels serum sclerostin were high in the postmenopausal women analyzed, but the data do not allow the determination of whether periodontal disease is related to high levels of this peptide.