Background: A close relationship between diabetes and chronic periodontitis has been demonstrated. We previously found that Porphyromonas gingivalis with the type II fimA gene is an infectious factor closely associated with the deterioration seen in diabetic periodontitis patients. In the present study, we examined whether other biomarkers are related to the development and deterioration of periodontitis often seen in type 2 diabetic individuals.
Methods: A total of 97 type 2 diabetes patients with and without periodontitis were recruited, and their periodontal and diabetic conditions were analyzed. The ratio (%) of teeth with an attachment loss >5 mm among all teeth in each subject was used as an index of periodontal deterioration. Peripheral blood was tested for levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), advanced glycation end products (AGEs), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha and interleukin [IL]-1beta). Subgingival plaque samples were also examined for the occurrences of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Tannerella forsythensis, Treponema denticola, and Prevotella intermedia.
Results: Serum AGEs were significantly associated with deterioration of periodontitis, whereas no other serum biochemical marker or bacterial occurrence showed a clear relationship with that condition.
Conclusion: AGEs may be factors associated with diabetic periodontitis and may be useful as biomarkers that reflect such deterioration.