Oral Health conditions in hemodialysis Patients

Objectives: This study aimed to assess oral health status and self-perceived oral health in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Materials and Methods: Thedecayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and the community periodontal (CPI) index were used to assess oral health status and self-perceived oral health in 128 HD patients.Salivary flow (SF) and pH were also measured. Results: Mean age was 56.2±17.1 years and mean DMFT was 23±9.14. There were 41 (32%) edentulous participants and 81 (94.3%) non-edentulous participants presented periodontal alterations. SF was normal (≥1.0ml/min) in five (3.9%) participants before HD and in 17 (13.3%) participants after HD. SF was very low (≤ 0.3ml/min) in 60 (46.9%) participants before HD and in 26 (20.3%) participants after HD. The difference in SF before (0.39±0.28ml/min) and after (0.60±0.34ml/min) HD was significant (p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between salivary flow and age before (r=-0.188, p=0.033) and after (r=-0.261, p=0.003) HD. Conclusions: Despite the increase in salivary flow after HD sessions, the rates were still below the normal levels, thus indicating the need for special care. Clinical Relevance: Our findings show that the oral health care professional should provide preventive and restorative treatment to HD patients and should be included in themultiprofessionalhealth team managing the care of HD patients.