Impact of Oral Health Status on the Quality of Life of Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: An Observational Study

TL;DR

This study finds that patients with chronic kidney disease have poor oral health but still report a positive quality of life, mainly affected by pain and psychological issues.

Contribution

The study highlights the importance of integrating dental care into the management of CKD patients, especially those on dialysis and with lower education.

Findings

Most CKD patients had a high number of decayed and missing teeth.

Periodontal issues were present in over 40% of patients.

Lower education and dialysis were linked to worse oral health-related quality of life.

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of oral health on the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) before kidney transplantation.

This is an observational, cross‐sectional, analytical, and descriptive study involving patients with CKD prior to kidney transplantation. Patients underwent oral health assessment and responded to the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP‐14), in addition to other data being collected.

Most patients had a high rate of decayed and missing teeth, with a mean DMFT of 15.33 ± 9.37. Periodontal alterations (altered CPI) were present in 42.5% of the sample. Regarding awareness, 68.8% were uninformed about the need for dental care before transplantation. The overall OHRQoL was generally positive (median OHIP‐14 = 1.00; IQR = 5.00). However, significant differences were found between OHIP‐14 domains (p  < 0.001), with impacts concentrated in psychological disability and physical pain. Worse OHRQoL scores were significantly associated with lower educational level (p  = 0.020) and being on renal replacement therapy (p  = 0.030).

Patients awaiting kidney transplantation present a high burden of oral disease but maintain a paradoxically positive perception of their oral health‐related quality of life. This perception is primarily impaired by physical pain and psychological factors, such as embarrassment. The findings highlight the need for early and systematic inclusion of dental care in the multidisciplinary management of CKD, prioritizing patients with lower education and those on dialysis to mitigate clinical risks and improve psychosocial well‐being.