In vivo evaluation of labial microcirculation in diabetics: a comparison with healthy subjects.

AIM: Diabetes mellitus, a systemic chronic disease considered an epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the rate of increase in the prevalence of diabetes, is a cause of microvascular and macrovascular complications leading to a significant burden for the individual and society. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo the effects of type II diabetes mellitus on the microcirculation of oral mucosa. METHODS: Forty-six subjects, 23 patients with type II diabetes mellitus (10 men, 13 women) and 23 healthy patients (9 men, 14 women) were examined in our laboratory. Oral microcirculation was evaluated on labial mucosa using oral video-capillaroscopy: a diagnostic method that permits the in vivo analysis of oral microcirculation. RESULTS: Capillary density, total loop length and total diameter resulted significantly altered in diabetics. The density of loops, observed on labial mucosa, is on average lower in diabetics than in healthy patients. The length and total diameter of loops are increased in diabetics. CONCLUSION: This study shows the capillary alterations that occur in the oral mucosa of diabetics. The loop density decrease is probably a symptom of peripheral microangiopathy. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that there is peripheral damage to microcirculation at the level of the labial mucosa in diabetic subjects and that these alterations are instrumentally "objectivable" and "quantifiable" through the videocapillaroscope technique.