Recently, a study was conducted on the patients with chronic kidney disease and presenting its findings at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings, the researchers suggested that patients with chronic kidney disease were less likely to visit the dentist, possibly increasing the burden of their disease.

Highlighting an established correlation between periodontal disease and CKD, Vanessa Grubbs, MD, Assistant Professor of medicine at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California at San Francisco, said that regular dental visits might play a crucial role in curbing the burden of the inflammatory disease process.

Grubbs and her team found that patients with CKD were 58% less likely to have visited the dentist during four years follow-up in comparison to the patients with CKD.

In addition, Grubbs said, “We have identified a group of people who have a lot of chronic kidney disease and they don't go to the dentist. This may be a missed opportunity because, if they went to the dentist, at least someone is taking care of their mouth and they get rid of that chronic inflammatory burden”.

Jeffrey Berns, MD, Associate Chief of renal, electrolyte and hypertension division of the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania finds it interesting that periodontitis may have a negative impact on kidney function over the long term.