Oral Status and Oral-Related Quality of Life in Pre-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

This study evaluated oral health status and oral health-related quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the pre-dialysis stage compared to individuals without CKD.

A total of 49 pre-dialysis CKD patients (GFR < 60 mL/min./1.73 m²) and 46 controls (GFR ≥ 90 mL/min./1.73 m²) underwent full-mouth clinical examinations, including periodontal assessment, dental caries evaluation, and prosthesis use. Data on age, gender, ethnicity, education, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), and creatinine levels were collected. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 and OHIP-14 questionnaires.

The CKD group had a mean age of 59.29 (±10.08) years, while the control group had 56.46 (±7.87) years. No significant differences were observed between groups in age, ethnicity, education, or smoking status (p > 0.05). CKD patients exhibited higher levels of dental plaque (p = 0.02), calculus (p = 0.03), periodontitis (p = 0.01), and edentulism (p = 0.02) but showed no differences in caries prevalence (p > 0.05).

General health-related quality of life (SF-36) was similar between groups (p > 0.05), whereas oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) was worse in the control group (p < 0.005). The higher prevalence of edentulism in CKD patients resulted in greater prosthesis use.