Tooth decay and weakened teeth as a result of diabetes

As a result of reduced durability and strength of enamel and dentin, the hard substance underneath enamel that provides structure, people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to tooth decay.
Over 28 weeks, a Vickers microhardness tester compared the teeth of thirty-five type 1 diabetic mice with thirty-five healthy controls. The two groups started with comparable teeth, though after twelve weeks, enamel grew significantly softer in the diabetic mice, with the gap widening throughout the study; however, significant differences in dentin microhardness arose by week twenty-eight.
An assistant professor of restorative dentistry, Mohammad Ali Saghiri, has stated, “We’ve long seen elevated rates of cavity formation and tooth loss in patients with diabetes, and we’ve long known that treatments such as fillings do not last as long in such patients, but we did not know exactly why.”
The study develops an effort by Saghiri and other researchers to develop treatments to counter the negative impact of diabetes on dental health. Previous studies have identified that diabetic people have significantly elevated rates of most oral health issues. It has also been demonstrated that the ongoing process of adding minerals to teeth can be interfered with by diabetes as they wear away from normal usage.
Saghiri has stated, “This is a particular focus of mine because the population of people with diabetes continues to grow rapidly. There is a great need for treatments that will allow patients to keep their teeth healthy, but it has not been a major area for research.”