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ROCHESTER — If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, you may be at an increased risk of tooth decay. A new study from Rutgers University may explain why: the disease may weaken tooth enamel and dentin, which is the substance under enamel that gives teeth structure. The process makes your teeth less durable.
“We’ve long seen elevated rates of cavity formation and tooth loss in patients with diabetes, and we’ve long known that treatments such as fillings do not last as long in such patients, but we did not know exactly why,” says Mohammad Ali Saghiri, an assistant professor of restorative dentistry at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.
The researchers hope that learning more about how diabetes affects dental health will lead to treatments that can counter its negative impact.
“This is a particular focus of mine because the population of people with diabetes continues to grow rapidly,” Saghiri said. “There is a great need for treatments that will allow patients to keep their teeth healthy, but it has not been a major area for research.”
The research is published in the journal Archives of Oral Biology.
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