Clinical oral findings in dialysis and kidney-transplant patients

Oral lesions secondary to chronic renal failure or related to immunosuppressive therapy after transplant are reported in the literature, but their prevalence is still obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate oral clinical findings in patients undergoing renal dialysis and renal transplant recipients.

Forty-six patients treated with dialysis (DL), 33 kidney-transplant (KT) patients, and 37 control (C) patients were examined intraorally. Oral clinical findings were diagnosed and treated.

The results showed that 95.6% (44/46) of the DL group, 93.9% (31/33) of KT patients, and 56.7% (21/37) of the control group presented at least one pathological entity in the oral mucosa. A high prevalence of oral lesions, such as saburral tongue and xerostomia, was found in the DL and KT groups. Certain oral lesions demonstrated a predisposition toward one type of group, such as a higher prevalence of metallic taste in the DL group and gingival overgrowth in the KT group.

The prevalence of oral lesions was significantly higher in renal patients (DL and KT groups). The most prevalent oral clinical findings were saburral tongue and xerostomia for both groups. Metallic taste was more prevalent in the DL group. Although geographic tongue was more frequent in KT patients and melanin pigmentation in the control group, the number of lesions was low for all groups. In addition, gingival overgrowth was more prevalent in the KT group; however, the difference was not significant (P = .06).