Periodontal disease and pneumonia mortality in hemodialysis patients: A 7-year cohort study

Abstract

Aim

To evaluate the association between periodontal disease and pneumonia mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Materials and methods

This prospective cohort study included 211 patients (mean age, 64.4 years) undergoing hemodialysis at a single medical center. The patients underwent a baseline clinical dental examination in 2008 and were then followed up until July 2015. Periodontal disease was defined as the presence of clinical attachment loss of ≥4 mm in ≥30% of the probed sites. The primary endpoint, i.e., death from pneumonia, was determined by reviewing death certificates, and was analyzed using the competing-risks regression model.

Results

At baseline, 92 patients (43.6%) had periodontal disease. The median follow-up period was 84 months (interquartile range, 36–86 months). Of the 68 deaths that occurred, 21 were from pneumonia. The multivariable competing-risks regression model showed that periodontal disease was significantly associated with death from pneumonia (adjusted subhazard ratio, 3.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.14–10.64), after adjusting for other baseline health characteristics.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that periodontal disease is independently associated with pneumonia mortality in hemodialysis patients. Future studies evaluating the potential effect of oral interventions for periodontal health improvement on pneumonia in hemodialysis patients would be of great interest.

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