Journal of Dental Medicine

Statement of Problem: Hemodialytic patients may be exposed to periodontal diseases during treatment. No information of any kind is available regarding the periodontal treatment needs of such patients.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to determine the periodontal treatment needs of hemodialytic patients, living in Tehran, to be presented to the public health system.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study using CPITN index 75 patients according to multi-stage sampling method and in proportion to the number of patients in Tehran were selected. Following necessary training, qualified subjects were chosen and a special questionnaire was completed for each using personal protection, CPITN index, by WHO prob, was examined and numbered according to (0-4) codes. Results: The findings showed that 10.6% of the patients had normal periodontal status (Code-0), 12% of the patients had bleeding upon probing (code-1), 21.4% had calculus (Code-2), 21% of the patients had shallow pockets (Code-3) and 24% had deep pockets. It was also shown that 89.4% of the patients needed oral hygiene instruction, 77.4% needed scaling and 24% required advanced periodontal treatments whereas only 10.6% did not need any treatment.

Conclusion: No statistically significant relationship was found between periodontal status and factors such as age, sex, the history of hemodialysis treatment and level of patients’ education.