Tissue response of type 2 diabetics towards non-surgical periodontal therapy: a retrospective, comparative study with non-diabetics - a preliminary investigation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the tissue response of Type 2 diabetic subjects towards non surgical periodontal therapy as compared with matched, non-diabetic subjects. This was a retrospective, comparative study using periodontal case notes of 40 subjects attending undergraduates’ periodontal clinics (20 diabetics, 20 non-diabetics), who were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Response towards non surgical periodontal therapy was assessed through three clinical periodontal parameters, namely plaque score, gingivitis score and number of periodontal pocket ≥5mm at the baseline and after initial non surgical periodontal therapy. Data obtained was then analyzed by SPSS Version 12. Both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects showed significant improvements (p-value = 0.021; 0.000; 0.001 and 0.010; 0.014; 0.001) in all three parameters after the therapy. However, when comparison was made between the two groups, there was no significant difference (p-value = 0.913; 0.892 and 0.903) in any of the parameters. Periodontal conditions improved clinically in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Therefore, both groups responded similarly towards the therapy and thus it can be postulated that well-controlled diabetic status does not have a significant effect on the outcome of periodontal therapy.