Effect of Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy on Salivary Glucose Levels in Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. A Pilot Study

Aim: To assess whether nonsurgical periodontal therapy lowers salivary glucose levels in diabetic patients and healthy individuals with chronic periodontitis patients. Materials and methods: 20 individuals with and without type 2 diabetes with widespread periodontitis were involved in this study. Subjects were designated into two groups based on their systemic status. Group I consisted of ten systemically healthy periodontitis patients. Group II consisted of ten diabetic patients with periodontitis. Glucose levels in saliva along with the periodontal parameters were recorded in all the subjects preoperatively at baseline and 3months after periodontal therapy. Results: At baseline, when the clinical parameters were compared among the groups, no statistically discernible difference was found. At baseline, mean salivary glucose levels in group 1 and group 2 were 0.76±0.34mg/dl and 6.02±2.55mg/dl respectively. At 3 months post-operatively, mean salivary glucose levels in group 1 and group 2 were 0.67±.0.30 mg/dl and 5.71±2.27mg/dl.At 3-months follow-up, clinical parameters and salivary glucose reduced in both groups. Conclusion: The considerable reduction in salivary glucose levels following therapy raises the possibility that it could be used as a target inflammatory marker in periodontal diseases. Keywords: Chronic periodontitis, Non-surgical periodontal therapy, salivary glucose, Type2 diabetes mellitus