Awareness of Patients with Diabetes Mellitus About Oral and Systemic Complications of Diabetes Mellitus and Their Oral Health Practices in a Saudi Arabian Population

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral hygiene among diabetic patients Material and methods: Two hundred patients with DM were selected randomly and a self-administered questionnaire was be given to each patient, which included questions related to participants' age and gender, type and duration of diabetes and their awareness for systemic and oral diseases as complications associated with diabetes. Also, the questionnaire included questions to assess participant's practices of oral hygiene. Percentages of correct answers were compared using Chi-square test. Results: There were 71% of males and 29% of females in this study among which 77.5% knew about the effect of DM on their eyes and almost the same about kidneys and 43.5 of patients knew that they are more prone to oral complications. About half of the patients brush their teeth once daily while 74% do not use dental floss. Conclusion: Diabetic patients were found to have little awareness of their increased risk for oral diseases. Health professionals in both the dental and medical fields need to take responsibility for educating the public about the oral manifestations of diabetes and its complications for oral health.