Research News

Research is ongoing to determine the possible relationship between dental health, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

 

Two researchers at Cave Hill Campus, postgraduate student Desrie-Ann Parris and Programme Coordinator of the MPhil and PhD in Medical Microbiology in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dr. Marquita Gittens-St. Hilaire, are exploring the correlation between periodontitis in diabetics with the development of cardiovascular disease in Barbadian patients.  Initial research indicates that effective identification of periodontal disease can predict the development and guide the management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  

 

A review of existing literature found that the invasion of bacteria into the bloodstream of diabetics increases the susceptibility to oral infection approximately three-fold when compared to non-diabetics.  Also, it revealed that the link between cardiovascular disease and periodontitis is caused by an invasion of bacteria species into the bloodstream. 

 

According to Ms. Parris, who is enrolled in the MPhil programme, the link between bacterial invasion and cardiovascular disease is quite significant: 

“The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is approximately 50 percent higher in individuals with periodontal disease than healthy individuals,” she shared as she made her presentation during the 9th Annual Faculty of Medical Sciences Graduate Symposium held virtually in January. 

 

Noting that although Barbados ranks higher than most small island developing states in terms of easy access to health care, Parris pointed out that it has one of the region’s highest prevalence for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). 

 

In a 2021 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) paper titled “Addressing the adverse impacts of non-communicable diseases on the sustainable development of Caribbean countries”, NCD-related deaths in the region range from 57 percent of all deaths in Haiti to 83 percent in Barbados. 

 

In addition, according to the Barbados National Registry for Chronic Non-communicable Disease (BNR) of the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, not only did heart attacks and strokes in Barbados increase by 33 percent between 2010 and 2018 but diabetes and its complications present additional burden to the healthcare system in Barbados.