Association between oral findings and laboratory tests in children and adolescents undergoing dialysis: A cross- sectional study

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of oral complications in the dialysis patients is important to prevent potential infections. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare oral findings in dialysis patients with healthy individuals and determination of the correlation of these findings and laboratory tests. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, DMFT, dmft, DI , CI , OHIS , PI, GI and enamel defects were evaluated in 25 hemodialysis patients, 30 peritoneal dialysis patients and 26 healthy individuals. Then the correlation of laboratory tests (including Hemoglobin, Urea, Creatinine, Ca, Na, Ph, K and ALP) and oral findings was determined in each groups using SPSS (Version 16). Data analyzed with One-way ANOVA test, Chi-Square , Kruskal-Wallis , Tukey’s test and Fisher’s-Exact test. RESULTS: Findings revealed significant differences in dmft, DI, CI, OHIs, PI and GI between study groups. A positive correlation between Ca and DI was found in hemodialysis group. In peritoneal dialysis group positive significant correlations between DMFT index and Urea, Cr , ALP and K , between OHIs and K , between PI and Cr and negative correlations between Na and CI and OHIs were found. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of oral problems in dialysis patients, especially hemodialysis, indicate the necessity of appropriate therapeutic considerations in these patients. The correlation of blood biochemical compounds and oral status in dialysis patients may warn clinicians to control the level of the biochemical blood compounds for oral health improvement. Key words:Hemodialysis, laboratory tests, oral findings, peritoneal dialysis.