There is a direct link between diabetes and periodontal disease, according to a report in Proto magazine published by Massachusetts General Hospital. The cause-and-effect connection seems to flow both directions. According to Dr. Louis Rose, professor of periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, periodontal disease is “the sixth complication of diabetes” along with heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, and altered wound healing.         

Diabetes may promote periodontal disease—with its symptoms of inflamed gums, bone loss, and eventual loss of teeth. Researches now say that unchecked periodontal disease, like other chronic infections, may also promote diabetes.         

The practical lessons: bringing periodontitus under control with good oral hygiene may help avoid the onset of diabetes. Also, bringing diabetes under control with good lifestyle habits may help preserve a person’s teeth by staving off periodontitus.