The Oral Health Condition of Patients on Hemodialysis at a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Eastern Nepal

Objectives. This study was done to compare the oral health of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on hemodialysis to healthy individuals and to assess the effect of the duration of dialysis on oral health. Materials and Methods. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among purposively selected 54 cases undergoing dialysis and 54 apparently healthy controls. Caries experience and periodontal status were recorded under similar examination conditions and compared between cases and controls. The correlation between oral health and the duration of dialysis was assessed. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results. The mean age of the participants was 47.09 +/- 12.23 years. Median caries experience among cases and controls was two (0-26) and three (0-15), respectively (p=0.013). Periodontitis among the two groups was found to be significantly different with a greater number of cases showing increased severity (p <0.001). The severe form of periodontitis was associated with a greater mean duration of dialysis. Conclusion. Significant differences exist between the periodontal health of patients undergoing dialysis compared to healthy controls. Longitudinal studies are required to check the causal effect of CKD on periodontitis.