Treatment of patients who have type 1 diabetes mellitus: physiological misconceptions and infusion pump therapy.

Background: This article reviews the unique physiology of patients who have type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or IDDM); allays some common physiological misconceptions; and updates dental practitioners on the emerging technology of insulin infusion pump therapy, now available to patients who have type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Description: The authors review the physiology of stress and describe the dawn phenomenon. They also describe insulin infusion pump therapy, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, to familiarize dentists with new technologies in caring for patients who have diabetes.