Yes there’s a link, and if your pet is diabetic (or even if they aren’t) it’s worth giving this blog post a read.
Just like in people, dogs with diabetes are more prone to inflammation in their bodies than those who are not diabetic. So when inflammation from dental disease arises alongside your pet’s diabetes, it can make it more difficult to keep the diabetes under control.
It has already been well established in people that having dental disease can have adverse effects on blood glucose control, and that practicing regular dental hygiene can improve this.
A recent study by Nivy et al. (2023) has revealed that this effect can occur in dogs. In this study, 10 diabetic dogs with dental disease and poorly controlled diabetes were given dental hygiene treatment by vets. The treatment included scaling the teeth to remove plaque build up, followed by extractions where necessary and polishing of the remaining teeth. All in all creating a much healthier mouth. In the 3 month period following this treatment, the dogs had their blood glucose and inflammatory levels checked every 4 weeks.
All of the dogs showed improvement in both their blood glucose and inflammatory levels as time went on. This means that as part of treating diabetes in dogs we also need to consider their dental hygiene as a cause of inflammation, and treating where necessary so we can gain better control of their condition. This study shows that simply giving insulin may not be enough to manage diabetes and we should look at each dog as a whole, on an individual basis.
We can also add this to the list of why it is so important to have your pet’s dental health checked on a regular basis. Dental hygiene is not just about nice breath and clean teeth, it can really benefit your pet in the long run.
