Periodontal Disease: The sixth complication of diabetes mellitus

Harald Löe

doi:10.2337/diacare.16.1.329

Supplement 1: Diabetes in Native Americans

Periodontal Disease: The sixth complication of diabetes mellitus

Harald Löe, DDS

National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland

Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Harald Löe, DDS, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 2C39, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Diabetes Care 1993 Jan; 16(1): 329-334. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.16.1.329

Abstract

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by destruction of the periodontal tissues and resulting in loss of connective tissue attachment, loss of alveolar bone, and the formation of pathological pockets around the diseased teeth. Some level of periodontal disease has been found in most populations studied and is responsible for a substantial portion of the tooth loss in adulthood.