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Volume1 Issue6
I
ssues and
P
eople
2000
2010
2020
1,000
0
2,000
3,000
4,000
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
5,000
12.0%
Diabetes inCanada:
2000 to2020
Peoplewithdiabetes (left axis)
Shareof thepopulation (right axis)
Thousandsof Patients
PrevalenceRate
Figure:
In2010, 2.7million (7.6%)Canadians haddiabetes and
it is estimated that this numberwill growby1.5millionover this
decade to4.2million (10.8%)by2020
.
Source:CanadianDiabetesAssociation andDiabetesQuebec.
2011, p. 16.
MartinGillis
Poornutrition is a risk factor for obesity, type 2diabetes and tooth
decay.Help your patients understand those connections andhelp them
identify reasonable changes they can implement in theirday-to-day life.
Dr.MartinGillisof Liverpool, NovaScotia, registrar for the
Provincial Dental BoardofNovaScotiaandapastmember
of theconsultative sectionondiabetes educationat the
International Diabetes Federation (IDF), servedas chair of
thePPODupdate taskgroup. “With this initiative, theNDEP
wants toencouragehealthcareproviders to form local
networks,” he says. “I think there’s anopportunity todo this
inCanada, for actions to takeplaceat thenational and local
levels. Throughaconcertedapproach,wecannot only
ensure that our patients’ oral healthcareneeds aremet but
also support our PPODcolleaguesbyencouraging foot care,
eyecareandmedication reconciliation.”
Dr. Gillis emphasizes the importanceof givingpeople the
knowledgeand tools theyneed tobecomeactiveplayers
in their ownhealthmanagement. “Healthbehaviour is an
important aspect to focusonwhenmeetingwithpatients.”
Dentists canhelp their patients formandmaintainhealthy
habits throughmotivational interviewing. “Discuss risk
factorswith them,” suggestsDr. Gillis. “Poor nutrition is a
risk factor for obesity, type2diabetes and toothdecay. Help
your patientsunderstand thoseconnections andhelp them
identify reasonablechanges theycan implement in their
day-to-day life.”
“General positivehealthbehaviours andhabits can translate
intopositivehealthbehaviours inmorecomplex scenarios
likediabetes self-management. Building self-efficacy is key,”
saysDr. Gillis.
Reference
1.CanadianDiabetesAssociation.diabetes.ca/getmedia/513a0f6c-b1c9-4e56-a77c-6a492bf7350f/
diabetes-charter-backgrounder-national-english.pdf.aspx
At the international level
The IDF is anumbrellaorganizationof over 230national diabetes associations in170countries
and territories. TheFDIWorldDental Federationand IDFfirstmet in2007 todiscusshow they
couldcooperate toensurequalityoral care for thosewithdiabetes. “We lookedat
someprojects,”Dr. Gillis explains, “oneofwhichwas thecreationof anoral health
guideline for peoplewithdiabetes.”Dr. Gillis represented the IDFon the task force
that lead to the release in2009of the
IDF
,whichoffers
evidence-based recommendations for diabetes careprovidersonoral healthcare.
Guidelineavailableat:
TheNDEPToolkit
'WorkingTogether toManageDiabetes'
isavailableat:
