Study shows kidney and gum disease link
by Guy Hiscott
Patients with chronic kidney disease and gum disease could have a higher risk of death than patients with healthy gums.
Research analysed data from 13,734 people living in the US who took part in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
Over 10 years, 6% of participants were found to have chronic kidney disease and the death rate (from any cause) of those with periodontitis was 41% compared to 32% without.
Senior author Professor Iain Chapple noted that many people with gum disease do not realise they have it.
He added: ‘It may be that the diagnosis of gum disease can provide an opportunity for early detection of other problems, whereby dental professionals could adopt a targeted, risk-based approach to screening for other chronic diseases.’
The 10-year mortality rate in participants with chronic kidney disease without periodontitis rose from 32% in non-diabetics to 43% in diabetics.
The authors are now looking to see if the link between gum disease and kidney disease is coincidental, or if gum disease causes kidney disease.
The study was led by the University of Birmingham and published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
