THE IMPORTANCE OF DENTAL TREATMENT FOR PREVIOUS PATIENTS AND POST KIDNEY TRANSPLANT: A LITERATURE REVIEW (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease is characterized by the permanent loss of kidney functions, which need to be replaced artificially, through peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or kidney transplantation. Pre- and post-kidney transplant patients present some systemic changes that can result in oral dysfunctions, such as hyposalivation (lack of salivation), xerostomia (dry mouth sensation), halitosis, uremic stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease and infections. Furthermore, already transplanted patients are more prone to infections due to drug immunosuppression, and pre-transplant patients, in turn, due to immunosuppression resulting from the clinical picture of uremia. The oral cavity has great infectious potential due to the high number of active bacteria. Therefore, the present work aimed to present, through a literature review, the importance of dentistry in the multidisciplinary treatment provided to chronic kidney disease patients. Therefore, it is concluded that foci of oral infection can lead to severe systemic complications, due to the fragility of these patients' immune systems against infectious agents. In other words, the inclusion of a dental surgeon in the multidisciplinary care team for chronic kidney disease patients and the provision of adequate dental treatment, with the elimination of oral infectious foci, are fundamental to the success of kidney transplantation and replacement therapies, in a providing the patient with a better quality of life and longer survival.