Researchers at Stony Brook University's School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine received a $12.5 million five-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), an arm of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate whether treatment of chronic periodontitis may help to improve diabetes control.
Specifically, they will test whether nonsurgical periodontal therapy helps to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study will be the largest clinical trial of diabetes and periodontitis to date and may lead to potential improvements in diabetes patient care, according to a press release.
"Research clearly shows an association between chronic periodontitis and type 2 diabetes, and there is early evidence that treating periodontal infection and inflammation can improve glycemic control," said Steven Engebretson, D.M.D., M.S., M.S., principal investigator for the study and assistant professor of periodontics and implantology at the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. "Previous studies in this area have been encouraging but are too small to be conclusive. This will be the first large multicenter study to determine whether periodontal treatment can improve glycemic control."
Scientifically, the exact connection between periodontitis and diabetes or blood sugar control has not been fully defined, according to Dr. Engebretson. He added that researchers suspect the association is related to inflammatory molecules caused by the periodontal infection that reach the circulation and disrupt the insulin pathway.
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