Patients undergoing treatment for kidney failure (hemodialysis) may have a greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease if they have periodontal disease.

The study included 168 patients of which 68 had moderate to severe periodontal disease. There were 14 total cardiovascular disease related deaths in the whole group within 18 months and 11 of them had moderate to severe periodontal disease. The authors recognized their study has its limitations, such as a small sample size as well as incomplete socioeconomic and nutritional information. They conclude, “Our findings suggest a need for larger studies to confirm this connection, along with intervention trials to determine if treating periodontitis reduces cardiovascular disease mortality in dialysis patients.”

For more information see “Periodontal disease adversely affects the survival of patients with end-stage renal disease” Kshirsagar AV, Craig RG, Moss KL, Beck JD, Offenbacher S, Kotanko P, Klemmer PJ, Yoshino M, Levin NW, Yip JK, Almas K, Lupovici EM, Usvyat LA, Falk RJ. Kidney International (2009) 75, 746–751; doi:10.1038/ki.2008.660; published online 21 January 2009. Can be viewed online at http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v75/n7/abs/ki2008660a.html.