Introduction: Type 2 diabetes and periodontitis are chronic diseases with a two-way interrelationship. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications.
Aim of the study: To assess the impact of the state of periodontal tissues on selected cardiovascular parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Material and methods: The study included 84 patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated at the Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Endocrinology and Diabetology, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior in Warsaw. The patients had the following parameters determined: periodontal pocket depth, clinical attachment loss, plaque index, bleeding index, IMT, LVMI and systemic arterial pressure.
Results: The periodontal status of patients treated for type 2 diabetes was unsatisfactory, high values of periodontal parameters were observed. In a follow-up observation after one year, the clinical condition of periodontium was significantly deteriorated. There were correlations between the number of teeth and clinical attachment loss on the one hand and IMT on the other hand (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Periodontitis in patients with type 2 diabetes may impact an increase of IMT (intima-media thickness), which confirms the association between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases.