OBJECTIVE The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether type 2 diabetes is coupled with increased severity of periodontal destruction. METHODS A total of 80 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 78 healthy control subjects underwent a fullmouth periodontal examination. The study included dentate subjects with a minimum of 7 remaining teeth in each dental arch. Plaque score, bleeding on probing and clinical attachment loss were assessed. RESULTS Diabetic patients showed a significantly lower percent of plaque-positive surfaces (P = 0.02) with a significant increase in the number and the percent of sites with clinical attachment loss ≥ 3 mm compared to controls. In the logistic regression analysis, age and diabetes were found to be associated with having > 15% sites with clinical attachment loss > 5 mm. There was a significant correlation between diabetes duration and the severity of periodontal attachment loss. CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes were at higher risk of having severe forms of periodontal disease compared with non-diabetic subjects. The results highlight the need for frequent supportive periodontal care for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus.