Relationship between Periodontal Disease and Diabetes: A Survey among Internal Medicine Residents in Saudi Arabia

Background: Numerous epidemiological studies provide consistent evidence of greater prevalence and severity of periodontal disease (PD) among diabetes. Health care providers should have the knowledge of the bi-directional relationship between diabetes and PD and discuss it with their diabetic patients. The present study investigates the knowledge and awareness of the relationship between PD and diabetes among internal medicine residents in Saudi Arabia. Methods: The questionnaire was distributed to 200 Saudi internal medicine residents from various institutions and hospitals in Saudi Arabia. It had 4 true/false knowledge items and 7 Likert-scale questions. Questions aimed to assess the knowledge levels of the subjects about PD and their attitudes toward discussing and evaluating the periodontal status of their patient. Results: Out of 200 residents queried, 131 responded (response rate: 65.5%). The Age was ≥24 years, majority of the respondents were male (64.1%) and senior intern medical residents (75.6%). 72% of the residents correctly answered all 4 true/false knowledge questions. 100% reported no prior training received about PD in medical school. Majority (64.1%) felt discussing about periodontal status to their patients was peripheral and 58% reported feeling very uncomfortable performing simple periodontal examination. 51.9% reported never screened patients for periodontal disease and rarely referred their patients to dentists. 18.3% agreed that patients expect physicians to discuss about periodontal disease. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that Saudi internal medicine residents had meager knowledge and awareness of PD and its association with diabetes. They were also uncomfortable with performing a simple periodontal examination. Oral health education is recommended as part of medical school curriculum.