Diabetes and oral health represent a combination that can end in complications if the necessary measures are not taken. Diabetes reduces the body’s resistance to infection and slows down the healing process. If left unchecked, it can lead to the deterioration of white blood cells, the body’s primary defense against infection. For this reason, mouth infections can occur more commonly in people with uncontrolled diabetes.
Diabetes can also reduce salivary flow and increase salivary glucose levels, making it an ideal setting for fungal infections such as thrush.
