Effects of hemodialysis treatment on saliva flow rate and saliva composition during in-center maintenance dialysis: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: To analyze changes in saliva flow rate and clinical measures from unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) among patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Background: Chronic hemodialysis causes changes in blood chemistry as well as dry mouth, due to removal of excess fluids. UWS is used to examine saliva flow rate as an indicator of mouth dryness. Whether UWS can be used to measure changes in clinical variables following hemodialysis has not been explored. Design: A cross-sectional quantitative study. Methods: Patients with ESKD were recruited by purposive sampling (n = 100) between 1 January and 30 June 2015 from a hospital in northern Taiwan. UWS was collected 1-hour pre-dialysis (T1), mid-dialysis (T2), and 1-hour post-dialysis (T3). Saliva flow rate and clinical variables were analyzed. Results: Saliva flow rate increased significantly from T1 to T3 (Wald χ2 = 10.40, p