Periodontal disease (PD) in patients with diabetes is described as the sixth complication of diabetes. We have previously shown that diabetes increases
dental caries, and carious
inflammation might have a strong effect on the adjacent periodontal tissue in diabetic rodent models. However, the possibility that
hyperglycemia may induce PD in diabetic animals could not be completely eliminated. The goal of this study was to confirm the presence of PD in diabetic animal models by preventing carious
inflammation with
fluoride administration. F344 rats injected with
alloxan (type 1 diabetic model) and db/db mice (type 2 diabetic model) were given either tap water alone or tap water containing
fluoride. A
cariostatic effect of
fluoride was evident in the diabetic animals. Meanwhile,
fluoride treatment drastically attenuated periodontal
inflammation in addition to preventing
dental caries. Furthermore, with
fluoride treatment,
periodontitis was notably nonexistent in the periodontal tissue surrounding the normal molars, whereas the caries-forming process was clearly observed in the teeth that were enveloped with persistent
periodontitis, suggesting that enhanced periodontal
inflammation might have been derived from the
dental caries in the diabetic rodents rather than from the PD. In conclusion, long-term
hyperglycemia naturally induces
dental caries but not PD in type 1 and type 2 diabetic rodents.