Prevalence of oral mucosal alterations in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending a diabetic center

Objective: to explore an association between oral mucosal alterations and type 2 diabetes mellitus. methods: this study was conducted at baqai institute of diabetology and endocrinology and baqai medical university from september 2010 to september 2012. a total of 800 individuals’ 395 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 405 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. an oral clinical examination was carried out for all participants using a mouth mirror, visible light source and cotton gauze. results: the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was high significantly < 0.0001; odd ratio 2.601, ci 1.929- 3.509 in type 2 diabetic as compared to non-diabetic. with respect to specific oral mucosal lesions, highly significant association p < 0.0001; odd ratio 4.275, ci 2.798-6.534 was found between coated tongue with type 2 diabetes mellitus. this study did not find any association (p > 0.05) between type 2 diabetes mellitus and potentially malignant disorders. conclusion: this study showed that the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was higher in type 2 diabetic than non-diabetics. this study provides evidence that diabetes has a negative influence on oral health.