Edentulism in Individuals With Chronic Kidney Disease on Hemodialysis

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics related with the prevalence of edentulism in individuals with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried with 650 hemodialyis patients between 23 to 90 years in two hemodialysis centers of renal therapy in two big cities in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern of Brazil. The data were collected while the participants performed a hemodialysis session. It involved a structured a questionnaire administered by interview (information about individual characteristics, behavior habits and medical and dental history) and a clinical exam of the oral mucosa. To ensure the internal reliability of the instrument, the test-retest was performed with 20 participants (Kappa=0.79-1.00). The examiners were trained in a calibration process to guarantee intra and inter-examiner agreement (Kappa=0,86). A pilot study was performed with a convenience sample of 60 patients in hemodialysis. This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The data analyses was performed using chi-square test and logistic regression (p<0.05).
Results: It was observed that 55,23% (n=359) of the sample were male and a mean age was 54.3 years (+7.9). The results revealed that the prevalence of edentulism was 28,2% (n=183). The participants identified with some change in oral mucosa showed a 4.5 times greater chance of belonging to the group of edentulous (95% CI: 1,10-2,28). Individuals who rated the appearance of their smile as excellent or good had a 1.6 times greater chance of belonging to the group of edentulous (95% CI: 3,03-6,95).
Conclusions: It was concluded that 28.2% of the participants were edentulous. The edentulism was associated with the patient's perception of their smile and with the presence of change in oral mucosa.