Cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases are the leading causes of mortality among patients undergoing hemodialysis, accounting for 50% and 14% of deaths, respectively.

Preventive dental care significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and pneumonia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the Japanese claims database, encompassing 10,873 patients who initiated hemodialysis between April 2014 and September 2020.

Patients were stratified into three groups based on their dental care utilization: no dental visit (n=6152), dental treatment (n=2221), and preventive dental care (n=2500). The primary outcomes assessed were the time intervals until the occurrence of the first major cardiovascular event (acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or cerebral infarction) or infectious disease (pneumonia and sepsis).

The preventive dental care group exhibited significantly lower adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for both CVD (aHR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76-0.97) and infectious diseases, while the dental treatment group had higher aHRs (1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.22) compared with the no-dental visit group. Additionally, the incidence of pneumonia was significantly reduced in both the preventive dental care group (aHR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.88) and the dental treatment group (aHR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.96).

“These findings suggest that appropriate dental care utilization may be beneficial in reducing the risk of CVD and infectious diseases, which are fatal complications in patients undergoing hemodialysis,” the researchers concluded.

The authors declared no competing interests.