Introduction:

There is evidence that oral diseases have a negative impact on glycemic control in the diabetic patient, so their timely prevention is a priority in dental practice.

Objective:

To identify the most relevant variables considered as risk factors associated with the oral health of the diabetic patient.

Method:

A prospective cohort study was conducted at the School of Dentistry during the period 2018-2021. The sample consisted of 403 diabetic patients who attended the dental services. The dependent variable was the oral health of the diabetic patient, which was divided into moderate-low risk and high risk. The influence of the identified variables on the probability of presenting a high risk for oral health in the diabetic patient was evaluated by adjusting a logistic regression model. To assess the performance of the model, its discrimination was analyzed using the area under the curve.

Results:

The most relevant variables considered as risk factors associated with the oral health of the diabetic patient were the presence of periodontal disease (OR=2.885, p=0.023), followed by the presence of dental caries (OR=1.890, p=0.001). The model achieved a good ability to distinguish between diabetic patients with a high risk of oral health problems and those with a moderate or low risk.

Conclusions:

It was identified that the most relevant variables considered as risk factors associated with the oral health of the diabetic patient are periodontal disease and dental caries.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )