Localized periodontitis tied to proteinuria, kidney injury

Among young adults, particularly those with mild impairments in kidney function, the presence of localized periodontitis appears to be correlated with acute or chronic kidney injury manifesting as proteinuria, reports a recent Taiwan study.

Researchers enrolled 1,280 young adults, of whom 352 were found to have stage II/III localized periodontitis, assessed using the criteria set by the American Academy of Periodontology/European Federation of Periodontology. The remaining 928 participants were either healthy or had stage I periodontitis. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used to measure kidney function, with a value range of 60–80 mL/min/1.73 m² defining stage 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Almost a quarter (24.8 percent; n=318) of the participants had stage 2 CKD, and this subgroup was found to have relatively fewer teeth. Bleeding and other periodontitis-related measures were not substantially altered in these patients.

Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed no link between localized periodontitis and stage 2 CKD (odds ratio [OR], 1.07, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.80–1.44; p=0.64). However, those with localized periodontitis were nearly 90 percent more likely to test positive in a dipstick proteinuria test (OR, 1.89, 95 percent CI, 1.04–3.42; p=0.03).

Of note, the link between dipstick proteinuria and localized periodontitis was pronounced in the subgroup of patients with stage 2 CKD (OR, 3.80, 95 percent CI, 1.56–9.27).

“Further prospective longitudinal studies are needed for young adults to clarify the association between localized periodontitis, changes in eGFR, and the risk of proteinuria,” the researchers said.