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BACKGROUND to determine the prevalence of periodontitis and if poor glycemic control is associated with increasing prevalence of the disease. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. A questionnaire related to oral health care history and oral health behaviors was administered to each participant and they then underwent a full mouth oral evaluation. In addition, clinical and metabolic parameters were extracted from the clinical chart. RESULTS 121 children and adolescents (8 - 17 years, 11months) participated. Overall, 45.5% presented some degree of periodontitis, with 10 (8.3%) mild, 36 (29.8%) moderate and 9 (7.4%) severe. The periodontitis group (PD-group) had higher mean gingival and plaque indexes, periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment loss than the group without periodontitis (NoPD-group) (p<0.05). A statistically significant relationship between the prevalence of periodontitis and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was verified in the bivariate (OR = 1.31, [CI 95% 1.13-1.53], p = 0.001) and multivariate (OR = 1.29, [CI 95% 1.03-1.61], p = 0.03) analysis. For the adjustment variables, associations were verified for duration of diabetes, age, BMIz, lack of running water, insulin use and acanthosis nigricans. CONCLUSIONS Children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes presented high rates of periodontitis comparable to that seen in previous studies with youth with diabetes. Uncontrolled HbA1c influences prevalence of periodontal disease. The lack of matched control group and radiographs are limitations of the study. Comprehensive periodontal examination is essential for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes to prevent, identify and treat periodontitis early. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.