Background: In China, chronic periodontitis (CP) is common in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The purpose of this study is to identify the sociodemographic characteristics associated with such patients and to assess the periodontal health status and subgingival microbiota of patients with CP and T2DM (T2DMCP) in the Chinese population.
Methods: A total of 150 patients with T2DMCP and 306 patients with CP without any systemic disease completed questionnaires, underwent clinical periodontal examinations and participated in diabetes-related parameter examinations. Subgingival plaques were obtained to determine the prevalence and amounts of selected oral bacterial species using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR, respectively.
Results: The income level and mean body mass index (BMI) of the patients with T2DMCP were significantly higher than those of the patients with CP. Additionally, the patients with T2DMCP were more likely to be urban residents, and they had significantly more severe periodontitis than did the patients with CP. In the patients with T2DMCP, the prevalence and amounts of Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia were significantly higher than those in the patients with CP. Finally, compared with the patients with CP, the patients with T2DMCP had a significantly lower prevalence and amount of Prevotella intermedia.
Conclusions: Compared with the patients with CP, the patients with T2DMCP were more likely to be urban residents and generally had higher incomes, higher mean BMI, and poorer periodontal health status. Higher levels of T. denticola and T. forsythia and lower levels of P. intermedia were identified in the subgingival plaque of the patients with T2DMCP.