RESUMEN
Background: The prevalence of periodontal diseases, gingivitis and periodontitis, is higher in diabetic patients and can have severe functional and esthetic consequences early in their lives. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of periodontal disease in type 1 diabetics, aged between 18 and 30 years old, living in Santiago de Chile. Subjects and methods: One hundred male and female type 1 diabetics were examined. Glycated hemoglobin A1c, microalbuminuria, and fundoscopy were assessed in a sample of 52 subjects, separated in two groups according to the presence of periodontal disease. Results: The prevalence of gingivitis was 22 percent, periodontitis 41 percent. Only 37 percent of subjects were free of periodontal disease. When compared with patients without periodontal disease, in the group of patients with the disease there was a higher proportion of subjects with diabetes lasting more than 10 years (28 and 55 percent respectively) and a higher proportion of patients with chronic complications of diabetes (42 and 58 percent respectively). Conclusions: A high prevalence of periodontal diseases was observed in this sample of diabetic patients. A long history of diabetes and the presence of chronic complications were risk factors for these diseases in the analyzed sample