Is there a relationship between oral hygiene and nutritional status in peritoneal dialysis patients?

Brackground: in the early stages of kidney disease, oral manifestations (gingivitis and periodontitis) may cause premature tooth loss and limit food intake. There is scarce evidence of the relationship of oral hygiene and nutritional status in patients on Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). Objective: we aimed to assess the relationship of oral hygiene with nutritional, clinical, and physical performance parameters in PD patients. Methods: this cross-sectional study included outpatients aged 34-69 years. Oral health questionnaire, nutritional, functional, and clinical assessment tools such as Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), handgrip strength, and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (GSQ) were applied. Patients were divided according to debris, calculus, and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) in two groups: "clean-slightly dirty" and "dirty-very dirty". Results: in total, 41 patients were included, those in the "dirty-very dirty" group had a worse nutritional status with higher scores on the MIS tool and worse nutritional diagnosis with SGA as compared to the "clean-slightly dirty" group. The handgrip strength was higher in patients in the best category of oral hygiene, and those with the worst hygiene presented greater severity of gastrointestinal symptoms. The risks of malnutrition in the three indices of oral hygiene with the worst category were statistically significant. Conclusion: poor oral hygiene was associated with poorer nutritional status, lower handgrip, and worse GSQ. Poor oral hygiene might be related to persistent inflammation status and catabolism that favored protein-energy wasting.