Objectives: Administration of antioxidants provides beneficial results in the treatment of diabetes induced pathologies. Selenium acts as an essential element and an antioxidant in living organisms. Diabetic patients have various oral manifestations and chewing problems. In this study, we examined the effects of selenium supplementation on the structure of the skeletal muscle (Masseter muscle) in diabetes mellitus. Methods: For this purpose, 18 Wistar rats were used and a control, a selenium given control, a diabetic and a selenium given diabetic groups were formed. Experimental diabetes was induced by a single i.p. injection (50 mg/kg) of streptozotocin (STZ). The selenium given diabetic and selenium given control groups were injected with a daily dose of 5µmol/kg/day sodium selenite (i.p.) for 4 weeks while the control and diabetic groups were injected with sodium citrate and distilled water. At the fifth week the animals were sacrificed and small sample was taken from the lateral surface of the Masseter muscle and processed for electron microscope examination. Results: Ultrastructural examination revealed structural destruction in the diabetic group, particularly arrangement of the myofibrils. Selenium given diabetic group showed a similar appearance as in the healthy control group, but selenium given control group had degenerations in the muscle structure as observed in the diabetic group. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that selenium is a promising element for the treatment of diabetes-induced structural alterations in masticatory muscles; thus may improve problems due to muscular disorders. However, the results in the selenium given control group necessitate further studies to understand the exact mechanism of selenium in organisms.

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