So far, it has been known that Type 2 diabetes has several impacts on a person’s health, like vision problem, cardiovascular issues and nerve degeneration, but now, researchers, through a new study, have found that oral health is also related to diabetes.

The authors of the study said that vision problem or amputations are well-known risks associated with diabetes, but according to the study, people with Type 2 diabetes are at high risk of losing teeth.

The study shows that African-Americans even have a higher risk of tooth loss. Bei Wu of Duke University in Durham, N.C. said in a statement that they have strong evidence that poor oral health is linked to diabetes.

Wu said almost half of adults in the United States are battling with gum disease, which has become a common complication in Type 2 diabetes. The researchers, for their study, examined tooth loss trends in data on more than 37,000 people. The data was gathered by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1971 and 2012.

The researchers found that the tooth loss declined overall in the US, but people suffering from diabetes were still vulnerable to tooth loss.

According to the study’s findings, “There is high need to improve dental self-care and knowledge of diabetes risks among people with diabetes, especially among African-Americans who experience more tooth loss”.

Wu said since long, the American Diabetes Association has recommended that doctors must refer their diabetic patients to dentists, but in reality, very few of them do so.