Prevalence of oral mucosa lesions in diabetic patients: a preliminary study

AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of superficial lesions in the oral cavity mucosa in diabetic patients. METHODS: The sample was made of 30 patients. To obtain these results we did rigorous clinical and complementary tests. RESULTS: Of the 30 patients, 9 (30%) were males and 21 (70%) females. Of the studied patients, 40% were below 60 years of age, and 60% were older than 60 years. Thirteen different types of mucosal alterations were diagnosed. Tongue varicose veins (36.6%) and candidiasis (27.02%) were the most prevalent. Such alterations can be associated with the fact that these conditions are commonly found in senile patients and are also associated with prolonged wear of dentures. Xerostomia was diagnosed in only 1 (3.33%) patient, disagreeing with most of the studies observed in the literature. CONCLUSION: Most of the diabetic patients presented at least one type of oral mucosa lesion or alteration.