Abstract: To analyze the effects of dental health awareness and behaviours on the relationship between glycemic metabolic characteristics and periodontal disease of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: In the study, 83 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited. The clinical periodontal indexes, such as pocket probing depth (PPD), attachment loss (AL), modified bleeding index (mBI), plaque index (PLI) were obtained with a Williams type periodontal probe; Laboratory examinations including glycosylated haemoglobin A₁(HbA₁C) were made, glucose assay tested, and the structured questionnaire interview conducted evaluationg the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) about periodontal health. Results: The prevalence of moderate and severe periodontitis was 67.5%, compared with mild periodontitis, whose severities were affected by the higher level of HbA₁C (≥8.0％) (OR 54.1-143.1), followed by using glycemic drug (OR=12.9-44.6), stress (OR=16.9-29.6), and the dissatisfaction with diabetic therapy (OR=16.9-18.0) et al. Meanwhile the attachment loss conditions were also correlated with the poor periodontal knowledge level（OR=3.4）,older age（OR=1.1）,and misjudgement of gingival inflammation （OR=13.3） et al. On the other hand, individuals with moderate and severe periodontitis, having bad teeth brushing effects and knowing about dental plaque inadequately, had a significantly higher risk for the poorly controlled glycemic results (HbA₁C≥8.0％), and the OR was 8.61, 8.07, and 7.49 respectively. Conclusion: In patients with type 2 diabetes the severity of periodontal disease and the glycemic metabolic level (HbA₁C) have a definite bidirectional adverse interrelationship, which is affected by the dental health awareness and behaviours.

Key words: Diabetes mellitus, type 2, Periodontitis, Oral health, Health knowledge, attitudes, practice