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Frequent Toothbrushing May Reduce Diabetes Risk

Oral hygiene may be a key factor in diabetes risk, new data from a Korean national health database suggest.

“Frequent toothbrushing may be an attenuating factor for the risk of new-onset diabetes, and the presence of periodontal disease and increased number of missing teeth may be augmenting factors,” write Yoonkyung Chang, MD, of the Department of Neurology, Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues.

“Improving oral hygiene may be associated with a decreased risk of occurrence of new-onset diabetes,” they continue in an article published online March 2 in Diabetologia.

Periodontal disease involves inflammatory reactions affecting the surrounding tissues of the teeth. Inflammation, in turn, is an important cause of diabetes via increasing insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction, Chang and colleagues explain