Ability to Chew Properly in Relation to Blood Glucose Levels in Type 2 Diabetes – UBNow: News and Views for UB Educators

If you’re a healthcare provider treating people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), UB researcher Mehmet A. Eskan suggests: Check the patient’s teeth.

and Research published April 14 at PLOS ONEEskan, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Periodontology and Endodontics at the School of Dentistry, found that T2D patients with full chewing function had significantly lower blood sugar levels than those with an impaired ability to chew effectively. is shown.

This retrospective study examined data collected from 94 T2D patients attending an outpatient clinic at a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group included patients with good ‘occlusal function’. That is, a sufficient number of teeth are properly positioned and in contact to enable good chewing of food. His blood sugar in that group was 7.48. The second group was missing some or all of those teeth, so they couldn’t chew well, if at all. Their blood sugar was 9.42, almost 2% higher.

Chewing is on the back of your mind as you sit at a picnic table with family and friends. However, once you bite into your burger, a few things start happening. Digestion, the process by which your body extracts nutrients from food, begins when chewing stimulates the production of saliva. It has also been reported that chewing stimulates a response in the intestine to increase insulin secretion and promotes satiety in the hypothalamus to reduce food intake. Eating less reduces the likelihood of being overweight, a major risk factor for developing T2D.

Eskan holds a DDS from Hacettepe University, a major medical research center in Turkey, a PhD from the University of Louisville, and also completed a periodontology residency. “My particular clinical interest is treating systemically impaired dental patients,” he explains. His research goal is to contribute to the overall picture of improving public health. According to the survey, as of 2019, approximately 500 million people worldwide have diabetes, and at least 90% of diabetics have his T2D.

Addressing oral health has recently become part of the approach to managing diabetes, encouraging patients to maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet, and quit smoking. Our findings show a strong link between chewing and controlling blood sugar levels in T2D patients,” said Eskan. No independent variables were found in this study that could influence blood glucose levels between subjects. White blood cell count (WBC) at baseline.

The dramatic improvement in one patient’s case described in a 2020 study co-led by Eskan demonstrates the potential benefits of improved occlusal function with dental implants and appropriate fixed restorations. The patient with type 2 diabetes had severely impaired chewing function due to missing teeth and had an initial blood sugar level of 9.1. The patient used a baby bottle and ate baby food for nutrition. After her 4 months of treatment with a full-mouth implant-supported fixed restoration, the patient’s blood glucose level dropped to her 7.8. After 18 months she was down to 6.2.

Studies have shown that just a 1% increase in blood sugar levels can lead to a 40% increase in mortality from cardiovascular disease or ischemic heart disease in people with diabetes, Eskan said. Other complications include kidney disease, eye damage, nerve damage, and slow healing of simple wounds such as cuts and blisters.

“Now I’m interested in research that can improve people’s health,” says Eskan. He and co-author Yeter E. Bayram, Department of Internal Medicine, Hamidiye Sisli Etfal Teaching and Research Hospital, Istanbul, look forward to further studies exploring possible causal links between occlusal support and blood sugar levels.