Dentistry for Diabetics

Dr. Charles Martin, who practices in Richmond, VA recently introduced a free online newsletter to provide dental and medical professionals with summaries of recent scientific research that confirms the two-way link between diabetes and periodontal disease.

The newsletter, entitled Informed, provides clinical insights for each group of medical professionals about these co-occurring diseases. It’s available online at www.dentistryfordiabetics.com

Dr. Martin is encouraging diabetic consumers to tell their physicians and dentists of this newsletter because it contains important diabetes information to help them address their unique oral health care needs.

According to Dr. Martin, "We’re using this doctor-to-doctor approach to initiate the cross-disciplinary awareness and dialogue that must occur for both dentists and physicians to address the burgeoning diabetes epidemic and its periodontal complications. Dentists will find background on diabetes and physicians will find information about the two-way linkages with periodontal disease, which are mainly centered on the inflammation response cascade."

Dr. Martin adds that he and his editorial team have been careful to document the information through recent research published in reputable scientific journals.

The first issue of Informed contains an article that familiarizes dentists with the nature of the diabetes epidemic, now estimated at nearly 21 million Americans. The article summarizes the course of the disease and its periodontal implications. The article also explains when it is appropriate to refer a patient to a physician, and recommends a medical-dental partnership to fully address the comorbidities.

The initial issue contains an additional article that describes for physicians the nature of diabetes-related periodontal diseases and their implications for medical professionals. It reports that normalizing a patient’s glycemic levels may significantly reduce the severity and extent of periodontal disease.

The information contained in Informed is appropriate for allied professionals in both disciplines, including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, dental technicians and other assistants.