INTRODUCTION:
Periodontitis is considered one of the major health problems in patients with diabetes, and its presence may induce insulin resistance.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the profile and perception of patients with diabetes about the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease, as well as to evaluate the comprehensiveness of the primary health care toward these patients.
METHOD:
This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study applying a structured questionnaire to 154 users registered in the HIPERDIA program in Family Health Units (FHU). The data were recorded in SPSS and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with a significance level of 5%.
RESULT:
Most patients were females (71.1%), had low income (73.2%) and poor education (42.5%), were non smokers (87.6%), had more than 12 missing teeth (73.2%), brushed their teeth twice daily (54.9%) and did not use dental floss (79.1%). A statistically significant association was found between gender and number of brushings (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION:
Patients with diabetes have a high prevalence of missing teeth, lack of information about oral hygiene care and relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes, which highlights the need for greater integration between the dentist and the medical staff.
Diabetes mellitus ; periodontitis; primary health care