Association Between Kidney Stone and Dental Calculus in a Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the correlation between dental calculus and kidney stones, and to identify the risk factors associated with the presence of these conditions.

Methods: This study was carried out at the medical city, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between 2020 and 2021. The study included 141 participants (70 with kidney stones and 71 with controls). The dental plaque and calculus indices were used to record plaque and calculus scores, respectively. All information was statistically investigated and the level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: The plaque and calculus indices were significantly higher in the control group when compared to the kidney stone group (p<0.05). A weak positive correlation between age and the calculus index in the kidney stone group was revealed (r=0.31, p=0.01). However, only within the age group 36-55, the results showed that the control group had a significantly higher calculus index than that of the kidney stone group (p=0.02). The married patients with kidney stones scored a significantly higher plaque index than the unmarried patients (p=0.03).

Conclusion: The dental plaque and calculus indices were lower in the kidney stone group than those of the non-kidney stone group. Therefore, the clinical observation of dental plaque and calculus may not be indicators of kidney stones. However, within the kidney stone group, elderly and married patients could be at a higher risk for developing dental calculus and plaque, respectively.

Keywords: calculus index; dental calculus; dental plaque; kidney stone; plaque index.