Oral health status and its association with duration of dialysis among dialysis patients in Jodhpur city

Introduction: In the past three to four decades, improvements in dialysis and transplantation have reduced morbidity and mortality among patients with end-stage renal disease. The present study was conducted to establish the relationship of sociodemographic conditions, state of dental health, periodontal tissue, and soft tissue in patients with duration of hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-administrated structured questionnaire was conducted among hemodialysis patients in Jodhpur city from March 2019 to June 2019. The final sample was 133 hemodialysis patients. The questionnaire was pretested on a group of ten patients to check the feasibility of the study and to ensure the face validity of the questionnaire. Results: It was found that patients with more than 3 years on dialysis had a statistically significantly higher prevalence of decayed teeth. There was a strong correlation between length of time on Hemodialysis and decayed, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, periodontal indices, gingival index, bleeding on probing, and gingival recession. Conclusion: Awareness must be raised among dialysis patients, nephrologists, and dentists about the need for primary dental prevention.