Periodontitis and the end-stage renal disease patient receiving hemodialysis maintenance therapy.

Atherosclerotic complications, including myocardial infarction and stroke, are highly prevalent and associated with increased systemic inflammation in patients who have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and are receiving renal hemodialysis maintenance therapy. In the general population, an increasing body of evidence suggests periodontitis can contribute to systemic inflammation and may contribute to atherosclerotic complications. In addition, results of recent interventional trials suggest effective periodontal therapy may decrease systemic inflammation as well as endothelial dysfunction, an early predictor of atherosclerotic complications. Because moderate-to-severe periodontitis appears to be highly prevalent in the renal hemodialysis population, effective periodontal therapy may reduce systemic inflammation and thereby become a treatment consideration for this population. This article will acquaint dental practitioners with ESRD and the association between systemic inflammation and mortality. Also discussed are the possible contributions of destructive periodontal diseases to systemic inflammation and the dental management of patients receiving renal replacement therapies.