Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the association oral health and diabetic retinopathy (DR)
Methods :
A population-based cross-sectional study using a nation-wide, systemically stratified, multistage, clustered sampling method included a total of 14,975 subjects aged ≥40 years who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2008–2012. All participants participated in standardized interviews including subjective oral health status and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. Subjective oral health status was categorized into three levels: good, average, poor. Seven standard retinal fundus photographs were obtained from both eyes after pupil dilatation. DR was graded according to the modified Airlie House classification system.
Results :
The prevalence of any DR according to oral health status was 8.0%, 29.2%, and 62.8% for good, average, and poor oral health status, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, including age, sex, diabetes duration, hemoglobin A1c levels, and hypertension, the odds ratios (OR) for any DR and vision threatening DR of bad oral health status compared to good oral health status was 2.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25–4.44), and 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48–3.83).
Conclusions :
The result of the present study implicated that poor oral health status can be associated with the presence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes. This study warrants a comprehensive plan that involves close collaboration between ophthalmologists and oral health care providers,
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.