Sunstar, a healthcare company, and the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) have started the “Perio & Diabetes” campaign. The campaign stresses on the correlation between oral health and diabetes. Studies have found that people with periodontal disease have a 20–30 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes. The reverse is also true. Persons with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to develop teeth diseases.
The problem is that both diseases are highly prevalent: over 415 million people are affected by diabetes and 750 million people are affected by periodontal disease.
Approximately 80 per cent of the 30+ population, about 750 million people roughly, are suffering from some form of gum disease (gingivitis in its mild form, and periodontitis in its severe form). In addition, these two diseases are strongly linked. If you suffer from both conditions at the same time, there is an increased risk of developing complications from diabetes earlier, since gum problems are inflammatory diseases that increase general inflammation in the body. The new campaign intends to create more awareness about the correlation between the two diseases and preventive measures against both.