Methods: Young adults (aged 16-35 years) with a diagnosis of T1DM were recruited. A full periodontal clinical examination was undertaken, supplemented with radiographs as indicated for diagnostic purposes. The periodontal diagnosis was reached based on clinical and radiographic signs using well defined classification criteria. Venous blood samples (3ml EDTA) were collected for quantification of glycated haemoglobin (% HbA1c), as a measure of glycemic control.
Results: Data for 22 T1DM patients are reported. The mean (±SD) age was 29.1±4.7 years, 6 patients were smokers, and 11 patients were male. Only one patient was identified as being periodontally healthy. Gingivitis was diagnosed in 14 patients (64%) and chronic periodontitis (CP) in 4 patients (18%). Generalised aggressive periodontitis (AP) was recorded in 3 patients (all non-smokers), representing 14% of those patients screened at this stage. Mean (±SD) HbA1c was higher (10.1±2.1%) in the AP group than in the CP group (9.3±0.5%) and the gingivitis group (9.3±3.1%), though this did not achieve statistical significance (p>0.05)
Conclusion: From this preliminary report of an ongoing study, it can be concluded that in north-east England, periodontal health in young adults with T1DM is poor and the prevalence of generalised AP is far greater than that reported in the general UK adult population.
Supported by a grant from the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust.