Gum Disease Puts Patients With Kidney Failure At Greater Risk, Study Finds

Standard Digital (2/22, Kajilwa) continues coverage of a study published Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology that found patients with both “chronic kidney disease patients and periodontitis (severe gum disease) have a higher mortality rate than those with chronic kidney disease alone.” According to the article, “individuals with both periodontitis and chronic kidney disease had an all-cause mortality rate of 41 per cent at 10 years, compared to 32 percent for those with chronic kidney disease alone.” Study co-author Praveen Sharma said, “Knowing the heightened risk that gum disease presents to patients who already have another chronic disease tells us that oral health has a significant role to play in improving patient outcomes.”