Chances are you know someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes.
But what you may not know is that good oral health can reduce the severity of the disease.
Some 29 million Americans, roughly 12 percent of adults in the United States, have diabetes, according to a 2014 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention report. In our state, about 600,000 adults have diabetes and 1.8 million more are at high risk for developing the disease. In Yakima County, one in every 10 people has diabetes.
November is National Diabetes Month and offers us all an opportunity to assess how this disease affects our community and what can be done to lessen the impacts.
Diabetes has remained one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. and the world, according to the World Health Organization. It is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. It even can lead to other serious complications, including vision loss, kidney failure and amputation.
The economic impact of diabetes on our health care system and overall economy is also significant. The American Diabetes Association estimates that in 2012, direct costs for medical care and reduced productivity attributable to people diagnosed with diabetes reached $245 billion in the U.S. In Washington state alone, the total was about $5.1 billion.
As you might expect, healthier eating, regular exercise and medications that lower blood sugar levels can help prevent diabetes sufferers from developing further complications.
But so can dental care.
The case for having diabetes patients incorporate good oral health practices into their disease management is compelling. Health care professionals and patients recognize more than ever that oral health affects overall health. The effects are even greater for those with diabetes.
That’s because gum disease can make it more difficult to control blood sugar levels. At the same time, if blood sugar isn’t controlled, it’s more difficult to fight infections, including those in the mouth. That’s one reason why people with diabetes are two to three times more likely to suffer from gum disease than people without diabetes.
Practicing good oral health helps keep blood sugar levels in check, sparing diabetes suffers from complications — many of which lead to hospital stays.
Getting oral health checkups help, too. Research has found that people with diabetes who received routine dental care had lower medical costs and about 40 percent fewer hospitalizations than those who didn’t have the care, saving them money and avoiding further complications. The National Diabetes Education Program recommends that people with diabetes get dental care at least annually.
Maintaining dental care is a simple way to prevent medical complications that are not only devastating to individuals, but also costly to the health care system. Consider this: 1 in 5 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes. At least half of these diabetes-related expenses are due to hospitalizations. That is why managing diabetes and keeping a mouth healthy are important to support efforts that prevent the disease from progressing.
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital offers classes that teach diabetic patients how to better control and cope with this long-term disease. We collaborate with health care providers to ensure that those with diabetes have regular dental office visits incorporated into their long-term disease management so they can avoid a hospital stay. We also urge diabetic patients to talk to their dentists to get tips on how to keep their mouths healthy.
Ensuring that people with diabetes know about the connection between their disease and oral health is important. After all, ignoring the health of your mouth can lead to serious consequences.
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