Periodontal Disease Status in Gullah African Americans With Type 2 Diabetes Living in South Carolina

• Published in: Journal of periodontology (1970) 2009-07, Vol.80 (7), p.1062-1068
• Main Authors: Fernandes, Jyotika K., Wiegand, Ryan E., Salinas, Carlos F., Grossi, Sara G., Sanders, John J., Lopes‐Virella, Maria F., Slate, Elizabeth H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; African Americans - genetics; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Dentistry; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - genetics; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Female; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; periodontal disease; Periodontal Diseases - ethnology; Periodontal Diseases - genetics; Periodontal Diseases - pathology; Periodontal Index; Prevalence; Severity of Illness Index; South Carolina - epidemiology; type 2 diabetes; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0022-3492; 1943-3670
• DOI: 10.1902/jop.2009.080486

Background: African Americans have a disproportionate burden of diabetes. Gullah African Americans are the most genetically homogeneous population of African descent in the United States, with an estimated European admixture of only 3.5%. This study assessed the previously unknown prevalence of periodontal disease among a sample of Gullah African Americans with diabetes and investigated the association between diabetes control and the presence of periodontal disease. Methods: Two hundred thirty‐five Gullah African Americans with type 2 diabetes were included. Diabetes control was assessed by percentage of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and divided into three categories: well controlled, 8.5%. Participants were categorized as healthy (no clinical attachment loss [AL] or bleeding on probing) or as having early periodontitis (clinical AL ≥1 mm in at least two teeth), moderate periodontitis (three sites with clinical AL ≥4 mm and at least two sites with probing depth [PD] ≥3 mm), or severe periodontitis (clinical AL ≥6 mm in at least two teeth and PD ≥5 mm in at least one site). Observed prevalences of periodontitis were compared to rates reported for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) studies. Results: All subjects had evidence of periodontal disease: 70.6% had moderate periodontitis and 28.5% had severe disease. Diabetes control was not associated with periodontal disease. The periodontal disease proportions were significantly higher than the reported national prevalence of 10.6% among African Americans without diabetes. Conclusion: Our sample of Gullah African Americans with type 2 diabetes exhibited a higher prevalence of periodontal disease compared to African Americans, with and without diabetes, as reported in NHANES III and NHANES 1999‐2000.