Differences in Dental Care Referral for Diabetic Patients Between General Practitioners and Diabetes Specialists in Japan, Analyzed from NSAID-Study 3

INTRODUCTION: Periodontal disease is a common inflammation worldwide and is not only the foremost cause of tooth loss but also a cause of deterioration of glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus. In addition, effective glycemic management improves the control of periodontitis infection. The aim of this study was to clarify whether awareness of the need to refer their patients with diabetes to dentists differs between general practitioners and diabetes specialists. This was achieved by secondary analysis of data from the 2018 Nationwide Survey on Actual Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) by Japanese Practitioners (NSAID Study). METHODS: Data from 380 general practitioners and 79 diabetes specialists who participated in the NSAID study and responded to the question of whether they referred T2DM patients to the dentist were analyzed in this study. RESULTS: The proportion of general practitioners who referred T2DM patients to dentists was significantly lower than that of diabetes specialists (35.4% vs. 64.1%, respectively). CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the general practitioners who participated in this study were less cognizant of oral hygiene in patients with diabetes than those who specialized in diabetes. It is also necessary to increase the opportunities for education of physicians who provide diabetic care to promote appropriate dental referrals.