The Integrated Care Pathway Of Nephrology And Dental Teams To Manage Complex Renal And Postkidney Transplant Patients In Dentistry: A Holistic Approach

The number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide. Different studies have shown that patients with CKD have poorer oral health status and they require a high amount of dental treatments than the general population. Therefore, it is crucial for dental care providers to have basic knowledge about kidney function and its implications for oral health and dental treatments. It is also essential to stress to nephrologists the importance of referring patients who are at a late stage of CKD to a specialty center for dental assessment before starting renal replacement therapy (i.e., renal dialysis or kidney transplant). The integrated care pathway of nephrology and dental teams is highly recommended. Patients on renal dialysis or after renal transplant always require a holistic approach. They have a high risk of oral bleeding, dental infection, and possible drug interaction. For safe dental treatment, dental care providers should determine the level of dentistry required and always liaise with the patients' nephrologist prior dental treatments. The aim of this review paper is to help the dental and nephrology teams to have some knowledge of renal patients' needs for dental treatment.