Dental Considerations in Renal Failure Patients

Chronic renal failure is a progressive disease characterized by a gradual destruction of nephrons and a consequent reduction of kidney function. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) necessitates renal replacement therapy as peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or transplantation. Patients affected by ESRD or in hemodialysis are at risk for developing a number of comorbidities including hypertension, anemia, risk of bleeding, susceptibility to infection, medication side effects, and oral manifestations associated with the disease itself and with hemodialysis treatment. In their practice every dentist is brought into a situation to treat patients with grossly impaired kidney function. Kidney diseases, whether acute or acquired, imply a number of body dysfunctions such as prolonged bleeding, high blood pressure, infection tendency etc. which, in turn, pose a threat involving serious complications in cases of dental interventions in these patients. The importance of CRD for the dental practitioner lies in the fact that an increasing number of patients with this disease will probably demand dental treatment, and that up to 90% of them will show oral signs and symptoms related to this systemic disease.