Prevalence of periodontitis in people clinically diagnosed with diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies

Aims The relationship between diabetes mellitus and periodontitis has long been discussed, but the conclusion of this relationship was controversial. We conducted this meta-analysis to explore the association between diabetes mellitus and the prevalence of periodontitis. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies reporting associations of periodontitis with diabetes. Gray literature was integrated from the Open-Gray database. Prevalence estimates and odds ratios were extracted by two independent reviewers and synthesized through meta-analyses. Results Twenty-seven papers met the inclusion criteria involving 3092 diabetic patients and 23,494 controls. Overall prevalence of periodontitis was 67.8% in diabetics (combined types) and 35.5% in patients without diabetes (OR, 1.85; 95%CI, 1.61–2.11). Probing depth (MD 0.23; 95% CI, 0.17–0.29; I 2 = 25%) and plaque index (MD, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.18–0.23; P = 0.59; I 2 = 0%) severity scores were significantly greater among the diabetic group. Conclusions The prevalence and severity of periodontitis are greater in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetic populations.