Increasingly since I have been on peritoneal dialysis, my wife has advised me of my bad breath. I can temporarily remedy the situation by using mouthwash and brushing my teeth but these are just covering up the root case which I suspect to be my dialysis. I have not been advised of the potential for such a condition by my dialysis team nor was it even hinted at during my PD training. So what.s the deal?
I turned to the AI-driven search engine Perplexity for answers. Recall that Perplexity is a new and improved AI-driven search tool that is the offspring of four former Google nerds. See this link for more about the tool. Here’s what Perplexity had to say about bad breath and its association with PD:
The association between bad breath and peritoneal dialysis is primarily due to reduced salivary flow and high blood urea nitrogen levels in patients with chronic renal failure. Bad breath, or halitosis, can be a common issue for individuals on peritoneal dialysis due to these factors. A review article published in 2022 states that patients with chronic renal failure have high blood urea nitrogen levels and reduced salivary flow, which can lead to uremic-associated odor and dry mouth. However, it also mentions that treatment with peritoneal dialysis can help reduce the problem.1. Another source from homedialysis.org also highlights that less saliva due to peritoneal dialysis can lead to bad breath and other oral health issues2. Additionally, medical conditions such as liver or kidney disease can also affect breath odor5. Therefore, the association between bad breath and peritoneal dialysis is primarily linked to the physiological changes in the body due to chronic renal failure and its treatment.
So there you have it folks, peritoneal dialysis MAY result in bad breath not necessarily in and of itself, but because of the condition(s) leading to its necessity. And that my friends, is the rest of the story.
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