Clinical questionnaire study of oral health care and symptoms in diabetic vs. non-diabetic predialysis chronic kidney disease patients

This paper aims to study oral symptoms (burning mouth sensation, xerostomia, dysphagia, and dysgeusia) and background characteristics among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The hypothesis was that patients experience oral discomfort and show interest towards dental care differently depending on the origin of their kidney disease. One hundred thirty-eight CKD patients at predialysis stage (94 men, 44 women, mean age 54 years) at the Helsinki University Central Hospital participated in the study. The patients were divided into a diabetic nephropathy group and a group of patients with other kidney diseases. The patients had a clinical oral examination and filled in a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed and compared between the groups (SPSS for Windows version 15.0). T test was used for parameters normally distributed while binomial data were analyzed with cross-tabulations and chi-square test. Contrary to our study hypothesis, no statistically significant differences were seen in the questionnaire study between the diabetic vs. non-diabetic CKD patients in any other study parameter except in the use of medication (10 +/- 2.3 vs. 8 +/- 3.1 drugs daily, p < 0.05), and working status (23.5% vs. 50% working full time, p < 0.01). No difference was seen in the frequency of oral discomfort among the different groups. Xerostomia, however, was frequently observed among the predialysis patients investigated (41.7% in diabetic, 48.2% in non-diabetic patients). No difference was seen in the frequency of oral discomfort among the different groups of predialysis patients investigated. Clinicians should be aware of nephropathy patients who frequently suffer from oral discomfort, particularly xerostomia.