Diabetic hypoglycaemia and the dental patient

Hypoglycaemic attacks in patients with insulin-treated diabetes are unpleasant and inconvenient at best, but may constitute a medical emergency at their most severe. This article provides the dental practitioner with an insight into the physiological processes which occur during such attacks, with clues to the recognition of the signs of impending hypoglycaemia. Steps which may be taken to avoid hypoglycaemia with the various forms of treatment are then considered against a background of their suitability for use in dental practice.