Penetration of antibiotics into oral tissue in diabetic patients

In diabetic patients, the microcirculation is impaired in oral mucosal capillaries as well as in the retina. Consequently, the concentration of drug transferred to the oral mucosa is expected to be lower than in healthy persons. Therefore, we orally administered an antimicrobial drug before oral surgery and evaluated its transfer to oral tissue. The study group comprised 30 diabetic patients who visited our department and underwent tooth extraction. Differences between the diabetic patients and a control group were statistically analyzed. Before tooth extraction, an antimicrobial drug was orally administered. Immediately after operation, we obtained samples of peripheral blood, blood retained in the extraction cavity, and gingival tissue of the surrounding area. The concentrations of antimicrobial drug in the serum and gingiva were determined by bioassay. There was no significant difference between the diabetic patients and the control group. Therefore, more detailed studies of additional patients are necessary. Our results suggest that an increase in the dose of antimicrobial drugs is not necessary in patients with relatively well controlled diabetic mellitus.