Background: Evaluate the oral conditions of patients with chronic renal failure submitted to hemodialysis in the city of São Luís, by comparing three reference centers and the times of hemodialysis.
Methods: The sample consisted of 107 patients, distributed among the centers. Plaque Index (IP) and Dental Caries Prevalence (DMF-T) were evaluated. Patients were subdivided into three groups according to time of hemodialysis (3 months to <1 year, 1 the 3 years and >3 years). Data were analyzed using the ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test with a level of significance of 5%.
Results: Plaque index averages in the groups were respectively, 0.91+/-0.67; 1.04+/-0.60; 1.25+/-0.61. The averages of DMF-T in the respective groups were 13.63+/-8.91; 13.89+/-8.12; 16.79+/-7.31. There were no significant differences between the centers of reference and the times of hemodialysis.
Conclusion: Time of treatment of the disease did not change or interfere on plaque accumulation and prevalence of the dental caries. There was uniformity in the patients' oral condition in the three reference centers under study.