Awareness and practice about the association between periodontal diseases and diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in Western Saudi Arabia among health care providers

PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the awareness and practices of dental and medical practitioners regarding the bidirectional relationship between periodontal diseases and diabetes mellitus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected dentists and physicians practicing in Jeddah. Participants were asked several questions concerning their awareness and practices on periodontal complications, and the bidirectional link between periodontal diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM). RESULTS: A total of 560 general practitioners (284 dentists and 276 physicians) participated in the study. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding any sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, the awareness of all participants was low in all aspects. Moreover, dentists’ awareness and practices were significantly better than physicians as majority of the questions were about the association between periodontal diseases and DM. CONCLUSION: The awareness and practices about the link between periodontal diseases and DM should be improved among dental and medical practitioners to effectively prevent and control periodontal diseases and DM.