Do you know if diabetes is a risk factor for tooth decay ?

Question: Do you know if diabetes is a risk factor for tooth decay ?
- Keywords:
  diabetes,
  tooth decay
Asked by anon-250000 on 20 Mar 2020.
- Nuru Noor answered on 20 Mar 2020:
  
  I think if diabetes is poorly controlled then that can be a risk factor for more tooth decay 👍 I’m not a dentist but this is what I am told by my dentist friends!
- Sophie Arthur answered on 20 Mar 2020:
  
  Those people with diabetes who eat a lot of sugar would be at higher risk of developing tooth decay because of the higher levels of sugar in their blood and saliva.
  It is best for everyone to consume less sugary foods and drinks and brush your teeth often
- Ioana Grigoras answered on 21 Mar 2020:
  
  Diabetes is a disease where insulin, a key enzyme in the metabolism of glucose, is not secreted correctly by the pancreas for different reasons. The lack of insulin means that the levels of glucose in the blood can fluctuate a lot more than usual. If the levels of glucose in the blood are very high, some of the glucose get passed into the saliva. Bacteria loves glucose, so more glucose in the saliva also means more bacterial growth in the mouth. If people don’t take good care of their oral hygiene (brush teeth regularly to sweep off bacteria), more bacteria can lead to more tooth decay.
- M S answered on 21 Mar 2020:
  
  I think the others have answered this well!
- Robyn Kiy answered on 23 Mar 2020:
  
  There are some great answers here.

Question: Do you know if diabetes is a risk factor for tooth decay ?