Periodontal and oral microbiological status of an adult population undergoing haemodialysis: a cross‐sectional study

Objectives: The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to evaluate the periodontal status and oral microbiological patterns of a population with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), undergoing haemodialysis (HD). Design: This was a cross‐sectional study, involving 52 patients from the Nephrology Department and 52 matched control subjects. Materials and methods: The subjects had a periodontal clinical examination; subgingival plaque samples were taken and analysed using a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect Porphyromas gingivalis , Tannerella forsythia , Prevotella intermedia , Prevotella nigrescens and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans . Subgingival plaque and saliva samples were studied for Candida and Enterobacteriaceae. Main outcome measures: Most of the 104 subjects had some degree of loss of periodontal attachment (LPA) ≥3 mm [11 (10.5%) had severe LPA; 16 (15.4%) moderate LPA; and 64 (61.5%) mild LPA]. Only 13 subjects (12.5%) presented good periodontal health. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the HD patients and the control group regarding bleeding index, number of teeth, or percentage of LPA ≥3 mm. However, a statistically significant difference was seen in the degree of oral hygiene. Conclusions: On the basis of the findings presented here, we cannot associate ESRD with more severe periodontal destruction. Although HD patients presented a higher number of periodontopathic microorganisms than the matched controls, a prolonged duration of HD did not bear a statistically significant relationship with the percentage of sites with LPA ≥3 mm, specific microbiota or composition of biofilm.