Diabetic Microagiopathy of Oral Mucosa Depends on Disease Duration and Therapy

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic degenerative systemic disease whose prevalence is increasing. This paper aimsto evaluate the effects of diabetic microangiopathy, depending on its duration and the type of treatment administered,by using polarized light videocapillaroscopy of the oral mucosa.Material/Methods: We enrolled 120 subjects: 60 healthy subjects and 60 patients with diabetes mellitus. In turn, patients weredivided into 3 subgroups according to the type of diabetes, the duration of the disease, and the type of treatmentadministered. A videocapillaroscopic examination of the oral mucosa was carried out on the diabetic andhealthy subjects.Results: Changes in microcirculation were detected in diabetic patients: at the level of the labial, buccal, and lingualmucosa, the density of the loops is on average reduced; there is an increase in the length and the total diameterof the loops, while the average density of the periodontal capillaries is much higher. The most significantchanges were noted in patients who had had type 1 diabetes for more than 10 years and had received insulintherapy.Conclusions: This study, performed using polarized light videocapillaroscopy, which for the first time was used to analyzethe capillaries of the oral mucosa in patients with diabetes, confirms the presence of changes that are instrumentally“objectifiable” and “quantifiable” through the videocapillaroscopic technique. Videocapillaroscopycan be a reliable method in the study and monitoring of complications in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetesmellitus.