Periodontal treatment needs of patients with renal disease receiving haemodialysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform periodontal assessment, using the CPITN index, on patients undergoing renal dialysis. The periodontal conditions of 342 subjects undergoing renal dialysis from eight renal dialysis centres were examined using CPITN. Subjects were distributed into four age groups, 16-19, 20-34, 35-44 and > or =45 years. The study was conducted during a 6-month period. All clinical examinations were performed by one examiner. There was a significant positive relationship between the CPITN scores and age (r=0.164, p=0.002) and dialysis duration (r = 0.240, p=0.000). There was no statistically significant difference between male and female patients (p>0.05). None of the age groups had healthy sextants. The 35-44 year-age group had a higher number of sextants with deep pockets (0.19) than the other age groups and edentulous sextants were the highest among the oldest age group (1.89). A very small portion of the renal dialysis population is affected by severe forms of periodontitis requiring complex periodontal treatment. However, all such patients should be given oral hygiene education as a priority.