Prevalence of Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease in Chronic Renal Failure Patients and its Relationship with Salivary pH

Introduction: In patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), dental caries and periodontitis are two common oral health issues. These patients have weakened immune systems and often experience reduced salivary flow. When the immune system is compromised, normally harmless oral bacteria can become harmful, leading to infection and damage in the mouth. The aim was to measure the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in chronic renal failure patients and its relationship with salivary pH. Material and Methods: This study was conducted in Department of oral pathology, Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences, Bangalore. 60 patients of chronic renal failure (CRF) were divided into 3 groups, Group A (n=17) patients of who had clinically healthy gingiva, Group B (n=23) patients who had generalized chronic gingivitis and Group C (n=28) patients who had generalized chronic periodontitis. Periodontal parameters; decayed, missed and filled teeth (DMFT) index, gingival index, plaque index and salivary pH were recorded. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected according to Navazesh's method. The pH of saliva was measured by single electrode digital pH meter. Results: The prevalence of DMFT, Plaque Index and Gingival index was high in chronic generalized periodontitis in comparison with chronic generalized gingivitis and clinically healthy gingiva. The pH in cases of generalized chronic gingivitis was more alkaline in comparison with generalized chronic periodontitis. The periodontal depth pocket and clinical attachment loss, there was statistically difference seen in chronic generalized periodontitis and chronic generalized gingivitis (p<0.05). Conclusion: The higher prevalence of caries and periodontitis seen in CRF patients is attributed to the low pH of the saliva, which could be due to the interspecies interaction in the microbial biofilm. Thus salivary pH may significant diagnostic biomarker in periodontal disease.