Effect of initial periodontal therapy on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective To evaluate the effect of initial therapy on the control of clinical variables and blood glucose level on type 2 diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis. Methods Fifty-two type 2 diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis were randomized into two groups (group A and group B). Treatment including scaling and root planning with systemic use of doxycycline were given to patients in Group A, while patients in Group B were only provided ith systemic use of doxycycline. Clinical variables and glycated hemoglobin were assessed before and after the treatment. Results 16 weeks after therapy, group A had a statistically significant reduction on plaque index and bleeding on probing (P 0.001), with a significant difference in plaque index between the two groups (P 0.001). Some improvements were observed on other clinical variables and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level in both groups althongh statistical significance was not detected (P 0.05). Conclusion This study suggests that initial therapy is of value in maintaining periodontal health and may be beneficial to the reduction of blood glucose level in type 2 diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis.