Oral health and diabetes.

© 2022 National Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow Diabetes is a heterogeneous metabolic disorder characterized by insulin deficiency or insulin resistance or both leading to dysglycemia of various orders and its consequences. In 2021, approximately 537 million adults between age‐group of 20–79 years are living with diabetes and are projected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. Thus, one in 10 adults (10.5%) around the world are living with diabetes.[1] Since diabetes is a consequence of metabolic disease which principally regulates energy generation by glucose metabolism (glycolysis and Krebs cycle), insulin resistance and deficiency affect those cells whose turnover is high and having short cell cycle for few days to weeks like ectodermal cells (7 hrs–24 hrs), neutrophils (1‐5 days), and epithelial cells of mucous membrane is 14–15 days. Stomodeum is created by invagination of ectoderm which forms primitive mouth it has all the metabolic memory of primitive ectodermal embryonic cells and responds equally to glycemic changes in diabetes. Historically, polydipsia is the first hyperosmolar symptom perceived by diabetics followed by dryness of mouth which has implications in decreasing the level of salivation and affecting the oral defense mechanism.