A Comparative Evaluation of Serum Magnesium in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Patients with and without Periodontitis - A Clinico-biochemical Study.INTRODUCTION
 Magnesium is an essential cation playing a crucial role in many physiological functions and its imbalance is associated with greater number of pathological situations.  Oxidative stress is usually increased due to decreased essential nutrients.  Hence, any imbalance of essential nutrients like serum magnesium can significantly play a role in the pathobiology of periodontitis in the presence of diabetes, as diabetes and chronic periodontitis are two chronic diseases that have been biologically linked.


 To evaluate the association of serum magnesium in type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis patients, also to evaluate and associate the influence of serum magnesium on periodontal health.


 A single blinded, randomized study was conducted that comprised of 120 subjects divided into four groups.  Subjects with chronic periodontitis diagnosed clinically according to 1999 American Academy of Periodontology classification, without any medical history and drug history were included as the study subjects.  Gingival Index and Plaque Index were scored for all the groups at baseline and after 21 days of scaling and root planing.  Scaling and root planing was done only in the test group.  Blood was drawn from the patients at baseline and 21 days after scaling and root planning and estimation of serum magnesium level was done using semi-autoanalyzer.  Data obtained was statistically analyzed using the paired t-test, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc test.


 The result of the present study showed that mean serum magnesium among healthy was 1.40±0.565mmol/l as compared to 1.01±0.287mmol/l among subjects with periodontitis, 0.920±0.23mmol/l among diabetics with periodontitis and 0.93±0.29mmol/l among diabetics without periodontitis.  Serum magnesium was significantly decreased in chronic periodontitis and diabetic patients with and without chronic periodontitis as compared to controls.


 CONCLUSION
 Imbalance of serum magnesium level was seen in patients with chronic periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Hence, it can be a biomarker which can predict the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis.
C