Poor oral health status and short‐term outcome of kidney transplantation

• Published in: Special care in dentistry Vol. 40; no. 6; pp. 549 - 554
• Main Authors: Sarmento, Dmitry José de Santana, Caliento, Rubens, Maciel, Rafael Fábio, Braz‐Silva, Paulo Henrique, Pestana, José Osmar Medina de Abreu, Lockhart, Peter B., Gallottini, Marina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2020
• Subjects: Dental infection; Dentistry; general health; Graft rejection; Hospitalization; Infections; Kidney transplantation; Kidney transplants; odontogenic foci; oral health; Oral hygiene; Patients; Transplants & implants
• ISSN: 0275-1879; 1754-4505
• DOI: 10.1111/scd.12512

Aims
This study aims to know whether poor oral health increases the risk of acute rejection and hospitalization in kidney allograft recipients.
Methods and results
This is a prospective cohort study. The same dentist followed participants for 2 months after renal transplant for monitoring oral health (clinical evaluation, DTMF index, and CPITN index), signs of graft rejection, infection, and hospitalization. We compiled rates and reasons for hospital readmission or extended hospital stay. The CPITN had a mean score of 0.38 ± 0.71, increasing to 0.90 ± 0.84, 60 days after transplant (P < .001). No one rejected the graft in the period of study. Patients with older age (P = .009; OR: 1.07; CI 95% 1.01–1.12) were at higher risk of hospitalization at each year of age and patients presenting pretransplant dental focus (P = .001; OR: 7.23; CI 95% 2.13–24.56) had 7.23 times more chance to be hospitalized in the first 2 months after the transplant. One participant was hospitalized due to acute foci of dental infection.
Conclusion
There was an association between dental focus and hospital readmission/stay. However, our methods do not provide conclusive proof of causality. Hospitalization due to acute dental infection was rare.