Oral hygiene profile of subjects on renal dialysis

The study was designed to assess the level of oral home-care among subjects on renal dialysis. The study included 90 subjects, 37 (41.1%) male and 53 (58.9%) female, on renal dialysis. The mean age was 45.63 +/- 16.77. Four indices were used; the plaque index (PI); the debris index (DI); the calculus index (CI) and the gingival index (GI). Results showed that all subjects did not have optimal oral hygiene, means of PI, DI, CI and GI., were 2.0444, 1.9556, 1.8944 and 1.8167 respectively. No significant differences were observed between male and female. Frequency of plaque distribution indicated that 69.9% of the individuals had poor oral hygiene. In conclusion, subjects on renal dialysis were at high risk for developing periodontal disease. It is recommended that, subjects on renal dialysis should be regularly examined by dentists for proper care.