The effect of oral and dental health on diabetes control and quality of life in patients with diabetes mellitus

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the oral and dental health status of patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and and to evaluate the effect of diabetes on oral and dental health-related quality of life (ASYK) Methods: The study was comprised of patients with Type 2 Diabetes who applied to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Endocrinology Outpatients from June to September in 2019. Sociodemographic-medical history questionnaire, oral health assessment scale (OHAT) for dental screening, Oral Dental Health Scale (ADSÖ) and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) scale were used. Results: The study group consists of 305 patients. The median score of the OHAT scale applied to the patients was 5 (min: 0, max: 10), the median value of the ADSÖ scale was 3 (min:0, max:7) and the median value of the OHIP-14 scale was 16 (min: 0, max: 40). It was observed that the group with regular tooth brushing habit had lower scale scores compared to the groups that did not (p=0,001). It has been found that prolongation of illness and non-compliance with treatment cause a decrease in oral and dental health-related quality of life. It was observed that 92,8 % of the study group had other diseases in addition to diabetes. In the group with additional chronic diseases as diabetes, oral health related quality of life were significantly lower compared to those without (p = 0.006). It was determined that there is a positive correlation between the ADSÖ, OHAT, OHIP-14 scales and HbA1c (p=0,001).Conclusion: There is a two-way relationship between DM and oral and dental health. DM negatively affects the oral and dental health of patients. It is difficult to control diabetes in patients with poor oral and dental health. The deterioration in oral and dental health causes a decrease in the quality of life. Key words: Diabetes, Family medicine, Oral health, Quality of life related to oral health