Treatment for Periodontal Disease in Dialysis Patients

The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well known to those taking care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Myocardial infarction, sudden death, or stroke, remain leading causes of death and disability, especially for those patients receiving dialysis therapy (Foley 2003). Traditional risk factors (Wilson, D'Agostino et al. 1998) only partially explain the burden of CVD (Longenecker, Coresh et al. 2002).

Our research team has been studying the potential role of periodontal disease in explaining the excess burden of CVD in the CKD population. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by an infection of predominately gram negative organisms (Pihlstrom, Michalowicz et al. 2005) and has been well-studied in other populations as a CVD risk factor (DeStefano, Anda et al. 1993; Mattila, Valtonen et al. 1995; Beck, Garcia et al. 1996; Joshipura, Rimm et al. 1996; Morrison, Ellison et al. 1999; Hujoel, Drangsholt et al. 2000; Wu, Trevisan et al. 2000; Howell, Ridker et al. 2001; Hujoel, Drangsholt et al. 2001; Hung, Willett et al. 2003; Joshipura, Hung et al. 2003; Tuominen, Reunanen et al. 2003; Hung, Joshipura et al. 2004; Pussinen, Alfthan et al. 2004; Pussinen, Nyyssonen et al. 2005; Saremi, Nelson et al. 2005). It has also been demonstrated to accelerate preclinical and clinical atherosclerosis (Loesche, Schork et al. 1998; Arbes, Slade et al. 1999; Genco 1999). In an observational cohort of 168 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis followed for 18 months, severe and moderate periodontitis was strongly associated with death of cardiovascular causes independent of traditional risk factors (unpublished data). A very high prevalence of periodontal disease in patients with various stages of CKD has been observed. In this population, periodontal disease was associated with a low serum albumin and malnutrition (Kshirsagar, Craig et al. 2007).

We present a randomized interventional small exploratory study to assess study feasibility and to determine whether the treatment of periodontal disease in maintenance dialysis patients reduces markers of inflammation and improves markers of nutrition. The existent data support an intervention trial, rather than additional observational studies. There are a multitude of epidemiological studies, including our studies, which confirm an association of periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (DeStefano, Anda et al. 1993; Mattila, Valtonen et al. 1995; Beck, Garcia et al. 1996; Joshipura, Rimm et al. 1996; Morrison, Ellison et al. 1999; Hujoel, Drangsholt et al. 2000; Wu, Trevisan et al. 2000; Howell, Ridker et al. 2001; Hujoel, Drangsholt et al. 2001; Hung, Willett et al. 2003; Joshipura, Hung et al. 2003; Tuominen, Reunanen et al. 2003; Hung, Joshipura et al. 2004; Pussinen, Alfthan et al. 2004; Pussinen, Nyyssonen et al. 2005; Saremi, Nelson et al. 2005). Thus, the time is right for conducting a hypothesis-driven intervention trial.