Type 2 diabetes and edentulism as chronic co-morbid factors affecting Indian elderly: an overview.

In past 50 years, type 2 diabetes has emerged as one of the major public health problem. India leads the world with the largest number of diabetic patients and has a huge elderly population. The present article discusses the effect of diabetes and edentulism on the overall general health of elderly. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and edentulism in Indian elderly and their inter-relationship has been discussed. Dentists must provide optimum oral care with special attention towards comprehensive periodontal management and oral hygiene awareness among diabetics to prevent tooth loss. Dental and medical professionals can improve patient management of the oral and overall effects of diabetes by implementing various awareness programs; organizing camps; distributing informative pamphlets and dietary counseling. Dentists can detect undiagnosed cases of diabetes and refer patients to physicians for further evaluation and management.