People with uncontrolled diabetes are at greater risk for several oral health problems, particularly periodontal (gum) disease. Periodontal disease also impacts diabetes control. Good oral hygiene and regular dental visits are recommended to prevent and manage oral health problems. Several studies have been conducted to assess the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people with diabetes yet a review of these findings has not yet been undertaken. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize current evidence on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of people with diabetes in relation to their oral health care. A systematic search of all literature was carried out in five databases using key search terms. The inclusion criteria were: 1) published in the English language; 2) from 2000 to November, 2017; 3) conducted on persons with any type of diabetes and of all ages; 4) explored at least one study outcome (knowledge or attitude or practices toward oral health care); and 5) used quantitative methods of data collection. No restrictions were placed on the quality and setting of the study. A total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies included a total of 27,894 people with diabetes and were conducted in 14 countries. The review found that people with diabetes have inadequate oral health knowledge, poor oral health attitudes, and fewer dental visits. They rarely receive oral health education and dental referrals from their care providers. Provision of oral health education by diabetes care providers and referral to dentists when required, was associated with improved oral health behaviours among patients. Overall, people with diabetes have limited oral health knowledge and poor oral health behaviours. It is therefore essential to educate patients about their increased risk for oral health problems, motivate them for good oral health behaviours and facilitate access to dental care.

Ethnicity is defined as "belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition". Membership of certain ethnic groups has long been associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Studies that examined ethnic differences amongst women with GDM were often conducted in western countries where women from various ethnic backgrounds were represented. The prevalence of GDM appears to be particularly high among women from South Asia and South East Asia, compared to Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic communities. For some, but not all ethnic groups, the body mass index is a risk factor for the development of GDM. Even within a particular ethnic group, those who were born in their native countries have a different risk profile for GDM compared to those born in western countries. In terms of treatment, medical nutrition therapy (MNT) plays a key role in the management of GDM and the prescription of MNT should be culturally sensitive. Limited studies have shown that women who live in an English-speaking country but predominantly speak a language other than English, have lower rates of dietary understanding compared with their English speaking counterparts, and this may affect compliance to therapy. Insulin therapy also plays an important role and there appears to be variation as to the progression of women who progress to requiring insulin among different ethnicities. As for peri-natal outcomes, women from Pacific Islander countries have higher rates of macrosomia, while women from Chinese backgrounds had lower adverse pregnancy outcomes. From a maternal outcome point of view, pregnant women from Asia with GDM have a higher incidence of abnormal glucose tolerance test results post-partum and hence a higher risk of future development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, women from Hispanic or African-American backgrounds with GDM are more likely to develop hypertension post-partum. This review highlights the fact that management needs to be individualised and the clinician should be mindful of the impact that differences in ethnicity may have on the clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes in women affected by GDM, particularly those living in Western countries. Understanding these differences is critical in the delivery of optimal antenatal care for women from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Background Diabetic cardiomyopathy is an increasingly prevalent health issue, with no specific management options. We examined the impact of weight loss with sleeve gastrectomy on diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods Eight obese patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing sleeve gastrectomy had left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function assessed by global longitudinal strain (GLS) and septal early diastolic velocity (e’) using echocardiography, before and 9 months after surgery. Results Following surgery, mean weight loss was 28.0 ± 16 kg; body mass index (BMI) decreased from 44 ± 9 to 35 ± 6 kg/m² (p < 0.001). Glycaemic control improved with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) improving from 9.2 % at baseline to 6.7 % at follow-up (p = 0.002), with a corresponding improvement in LV GLS from −13.2 ± 3.7 to −19.7 ± 2.2 % (p < 0.001), and LV ejection fraction from 60 ± 5 to 70 ± 4 % (p < 0.001). Improvement in GLS was associated with the amount of weight lost (ρ = 0.81, p = 0.015). LV septal e’ velocities increased, and LV filling pressures decreased after surgery. Conclusions Weight loss with sleeve gastrectomy in obese patients with type 2 diabetes is effective in improving glycaemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes and results in significant improvement in both systolic and diastolic myocardial function.

Hyperglycemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We evaluated whether complications after AMI are associated with absolute or relative glycemia. A total of 192 patients with AMI were randomized to intensive or conventional insulin therapy. Absolute glycemia was defined as mean blood glucose level (BGL) during the first 24 h following randomization. Relative glycemia was defined by the stress hyperglycaemia ratio (SHR), calculated as mean BGL divided by average glucose concentration over the prior 3 months estimated from glycosylated haemoglobin. The primary endpoint was a “complicated AMI”, defined as an AMI complicated by death, congestive cardiac failure, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, reinfarction, cardiogenic shock, inotrope use or emergency revascularization. There was not a significant association between mean BGL and complicated AMI (odds ratio (OR) 1.05 per mmol/L glucose increment, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.93–1.19). In contrast, SHR was positively associated with a complicated myocardial infarction (OR 1.22 per 0.1 SHR increment, 95% CI 1.06–1.42), and individual complications of death (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.14–2.11), congestive cardiac failure (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05–1.54), arrhythmia (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.12–1.54) and cardiogenic shock (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.03–1.97). The relationship between SHR and a complicated AMI was independent of diabetic status, intensive insulin therapy, sex and hypoglycemia. Relative, but not absolute, glycemia during insulin treatment is independently associated with complications after an AMI. Future studies should investigate whether basing therapeutic glycaemic targets on relative glycemia improves patient outcomes.