Source: ProMed

O’Connell et al¹[M1]  conducted a small study on 30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a double-masked, placebo-controlled study which analyzed the effects of scaling and root planing on glycosylated hemoglobin and inflammatory biomarkers. Patients were treated with periodontal therapy and either doxycycline or placebo. No statistical differences were seen between the two treatment groups in relation to systemic conditions of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but periodontal therapy may influence the systemic conditions. Patients receiving doxycycline had a 1.5% reduction (P<0.01) in HbA1c compared to a 0.9% reduction (P= 0.17); probing depth was 0.8 mm for the placebo group (P<0.01) vs  1.1 mm for the doxycycline group (P <0.01). There was a statistically significant decrease in all patients’ inflammatory serum markers, including interleukin-6; interferon-inducible protein10; soluble fas ligand; granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; RANTES; and interleuken-12 p70 serum levels. The authors did note the improvement in glycemic control and inflammatory markers may have been the direct result of patient diet changes, which were not measured or controlled in the study, and a larger patient population with diet controlled and measured in a future study would be a beneficial additional to the body of evidence.