Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of asthma on dentoalveolar morphology in the developing child. Methods: This study was conducted on 50 asthmatic Egyptian children and 50 non-asthmatic Egyptian children. Each child's dental casts of the maxilla and mandible were analyzed. The upper and lower intercanine width, the upper and lower intermolar width (UIMW-LIMW), the upper and lower arch length, and the palatal depth were determined. Results: Children with asthma demonstrated higher mean values in more than one of the parameters measured when compared with the mean values of non-asthmatic children for both genders. In general, the UIMW of asthmatic children had lower mean values when compared with the mean value of non-asthmatic children, except when compared regarding gender. A Student t-test noted a significant difference in UIMW and LIMW in male children. Conclusion: Asthma has an effect on upper and lower dental arch dimensions in both genders.
Key words:Asthma, dentoalveolar morphology, children Dr. Salwa Mohamad Awad is Professor and Chairman of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Egypt. She got her BS, MS and PhD from Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Egypt. She participated in many scientific researches supervision, in the committees of arbitration and discussion of researches, and also in workshops and international scientific conferences. She conducted many local and international scientific researches and got many courses of development faculty administration. Besides, she acts as director of quality unit at college, and internal auditor and evaluator of quality assurance and accreditation.Dr. Fathi Abdulraqep Qasem is Master of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Dhamar University, Yemen. He got his BS from Faculty of Dentistry, Dhamar University, Yemen, and MS from Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Egypt. He is manager of dental clinic of the training hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry, Dhamar University, Yemen. He participates in many workshops and international scientific conferences.