November is American Diabetes Month, and the New Jersey Society of Periodontists (NJSP) is spreading awareness about the link between periodontal disease and diabetes.
"If you have diabetes, you are at higher risk for developing infections, including periodontal disease," said Scott Zirkin, DDS, president of the NJSP. "These infections can impair the ability to process and/or utilize insulin, which may cause your diabetes to be more difficult to control and your infection to be more severe than a person [without] the disease."
People with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than people without diabetes, most likely because they are more susceptible to contracting infections, according to the NJSP. In fact, periodontal disease is often considered the sixth complication of diabetes, and those people who don't have their diabetes under control are especially at risk.
"We are very much aware of the link between periodontal disease and diabetes and understand the importance of the collaborative care of a periodontist and a physician," said Gina Murdoch, executive director of American Diabetes Association, New Jersey Area, in an NJSP news release.
