Dentists can play a critical role as the first line of defense in the fight against diabetes.

The current economy has many businesses taking a close look at the benefits packages they offer their employees. As many as 10 million employed Americans have lost their dental coverage in the past two years. What is not fully appreciated however, is that good oral health is essential to ones overall health and wellness. From a business point of view, a healthy workforce increases productivity and makes for a healthier bottom line.

Increasingly, dentists are becoming the first line of defense for detecting many systemic diseases, including respiratory diseases, heart disease and diabetes. Over the past decade, Delta Dental/Washington Dental Service and the Group Health Research Institute, both Seattle-based organizations, have teamed up to sponsor innovative research regarding the links between diabetes and periodontal disease. These studies and others, many of them conducted by the University of Washington, have proven that the two diseases have a symbiotic relationship and neither can be solved without addressing the other.

One of the most significant discoveries has been the link between dental care and diabetesand with the number of type 2 diabetes cases reaching epidemic proportion, the treatment of ones oral health must be connected to the treatment of ones overall health.

The 21 million diabetics in the United States, along with the 57 million labeled pre-diabetic, face numerous long-term health consequences, including a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure and retinal disease.

Not only are people with diabetes more susceptible to these diseases, but diabetes is a major risk factor for gum disease, which can affect blood glucose levels and make it more difficult to control diabetes. In fact, a recent 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey concluded that periodontal disease led to poor glycemic control, thereby increasing the chance of diabetes.

Warning signs for periodontal or gum disease include bleeding, swollen or tender gums, loose permanent teeth, receding gums and changes in the way your teeth or partial dentures fit. Consult with your dentist right away if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Shared studies like the ones the Washington Dental Service and Group Health Research Institute conducted have begun to push dentists and physicians to collaborate more on diagnosing and treating periodontal disease and diabetes. In 2007, the Seattle-based Institute for Oral Health convened a conference on diabetes and dental care. Many of the papers delivered at the conference advocated for greater cooperation between physicians and dentists and concluded that improved collaboration between medical and dental would not only positively affect patient care, but also provide employers with reduced healthcare costs while still providing their employees with increased wellness. The ability to diagnose diabetes or gum disease early will save more invasive and expensive treatments later.

Dentists are in a unique position to serve as the unsung heroes in early detection. Most patients have the opportunity to visit a dentist at least once a year, whereas visits to the doctor are less frequent and many people visit a doctor only when they have an immediate medical issue. With this in mind, Washington Dental Service is educating its network of dentists to pay closer attention to diabetes and general health warning signs and recognize the close correlation dental health has to overall wellbeing.

For diabetics, dental treatment can help maintain blood sugar levels, and reduction of the gum disease infection can help diabetics reduce their number of adverse diabetic incidences.

The more we keep the mouth and body connected, the better off all of us will beand we can hopefully slow the rate of new diabetes cases. And while youre at it you will also maintain a healthier bottom line.

Dr. Ron Inge is vice president and dental director for Washington Dental Service and executive director of the Institute for Oral Health.