Kanako Toda, Koji Mizutani and Kayoko Shinada
Oral Hygiene Instructions (OHI) enable proper plaque control by promoting patient self-care habits. OHI yields to reduce inflammation in periodontal tissues by eliminating periodontal pathogens. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of OHI on glycemic control in patients with diabetes. This systematic review aimed to examine the following clinical question (CQ): Does OHI improve glycemic control in periodontitis patients with type 2 diabetes? Consequently, 17 relevant interventional studies were included in this review. No randomized clinical trial was detected to compare the clinical benefits of OHI alone. Some interventional studies demonstrated that OHI alone had the potential to improve hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels, although the outcomes showed variability. Combining professional supragingival plaque removal with OHI had reported inconsistent results in improving glycemic control among studies. Although further well-designed studies are required, the possibility of glycemic control via OHI in periodontitis patients with type 2 diabetes has been suggested.