Association between the severity of periodontitis and osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes: a nationwide population-based study.

Severe periodontitis was positively and significantly associated with osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older individuals with type 2 diabetes. Our findings suggest that the oral inflammation manifesting in periodontitis may be at least partly involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, particularly in patients with type 2 diabetes.