Periodontal probing depth as a marker of diabetes risk: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2011–2012

Periodontal inflammation was evaluated in relation to diabetes using NHANES 2011–2012 data from 3,333 adults aged 30–80 years. Logistic regression models showed that diabetes more than doubled the odds of having MeanPD ≥3 mm, and MaxPD independently predicted diabetes. Age‑stratified trends indicated that increases in periodontal inflammation precede or parallel rising diabetes prevalence. These findings suggest periodontal measures provide early signals of impaired glucose tolerance and support integrating dental data into informatics‑based diabetes risk‑stratification frameworks.