Tip: Dentists & Diabetes Educators Can Collaborate to Fight Diabetes & Heart Disease

The epidemic rates of prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes could be decreased, and the depressingly prevalent rate of heart disease and diabetes complications could be reduced. There is a heavy burden on health-care professionals today regarding the recognition, treatment, and proactive management of a disease that has reached epidemic proportions worldwide.
'via Blog this'The Dynamic Duo - RDH:

The relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease is a two-way street!

• People with diabetes are at greater risk for developing infections6,7
• Periodontal disease (chronic infection) can impair diabetes control6,7
• More definitive link than cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, preterm, low birth-weight infants8
• Management of periodontitis can result in significant reduction in A1C9,10

A1C is a blood test that measures the weighted, average glucose level over a two to three month period, which is the life cycle of the red blood cell. It is the standard for assessing glucose control for patients with diabetes and, as of February 2010, is an acceptable test to be used for diagnosis of diabetes.

The accepted diagnosis guidelines for the American Diabetes Association follows these parameters for A1C:

• 5.6 and below is normal
• 5.7 through 6.4 is prediabetes
• 6.5 and above is diabetes