Effect of periodontitis on diabetes: a review of cohort studies

Periodontitis is an inflammation that occurs in the supporting tissues around teeth with plaque biofilm as the starting factor. Periodontitis is closely related to many systemic diseases, among which the relationship between periodontitis and diabetes is the most widely reported. A cohort study is an essential clinical research method to explore the etiology. Large, well-conducted prospective cohort studies have high power, which can provide important clinical evidence for the impact of periodontitis on blood sugar control, incidence rate and complications of diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis is associated with the deterioration of glycemic control. At present, there is moderate evidence that nonsurgical periodontal treatment can significantly improve the blood sugar level of diabetes patients with periodontitis compared with no periodontal treatment. Studies on the impact of periodontitis on the incidence rate of diabetes lack consistent conclusions because of different population backgrounds. The evidence regarding whether periodontitis affects the incidence rate of diabetes complications is relatively limited. Therefore, well-designed cohort studies are needed to provide high-quality clinical evidence