Association of urinary albumin excretion with periodontal parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study

Background Our previous pilot study using patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in one medical clinic showed an association of urinary albumin excretion, a marker of generalized vascular dysfunction and kidney damage, with periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to confirm the association by increasing the number of patients and medical clinics. Methods Participants were 2302 patients (59.9% males, aged 29–93 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus from 25 medical clinics. Their medical records and information about socioeconomic status and health behavior were collected. Periodontal status was assessed in a nearby dental office. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of log-transformed urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio with periodontal parameters after adjusting for sociodemographic status, general health conditions, and health behaviors. The analyses were performed in all subjects and subjects with normoalbuminuria only. Results Multiple linear regression analysis showed that mean probing pocket depth (beta: 0.062), percentage of sites with probing pocket depth of 4 mm or deeper (beta: 0.068), percentage of mobile teeth (beta: 0.055), and severity of periodontitis (beta: 0.049) were significantly ( p