Dental implants may be more common in men with diabetes, as new research has shown they are twice as likely to lose their teeth than those without the disease.
A study presented at an International Association of Dental Research conference last week found that type 2 diabetes increased the risk of tooth loss, as did poor diet and smoking.
Over 2.5 million people across Britain are diabetic, according to the charity Diabetes UK.
Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation Nigel Carter suggested he was shocked by the results.
“Although we have known for many years that diabetics are more likely to suffer from gum disease, the extent of the increase in such a large study is surprising,” he said, adding that good dental health was important for the entire body.
The survey, carried out at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, followed 38,000 men over 20 years.
None of them had any gum disease at the start of the trial, but over the time period around 11,000 teeth were lost, more often by type 2 diabetics.