Comparative Evaluation of Dental Caries in Asthmatic and Asthma-free Children: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Aims and objectives:The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of dental caries in asthmatic children of age group 5 to 16 years and to evaluate and compare the dental caries status among asthmatic and asthma-free children. Materials and methods:A cross-sectional study was done on 200 children aged 5 to 16 years. The participants were divided into two groups. The study group included 100 asthmatic children/adolescent diagnosed with asthma attended the local hospitals. Asthma-free group composed of 100 asthma-free children⁄adolescents recruited in two public schools. The details on asthma severity were obtained from patient's records, by consulting the pediatrician treating these children or by interviewing their parents/caregivers. Dental caries status was assessed using DMFT and dmft indices. Chi-square and independent Student's t-test used for statistical analysis of data. Results:The prevalence of dental caries in the asthmatic children, for permanent dentition was 28% and primary teeth caries experience was 67% and the result was statistically significant. Asthmatic children had a higher mean DMFT (0.54 ± 0.82)/dmft (2.74 ± 2.59) score. There was statistically significant difference existed for DMFT among five drug forms (chi-square = 60.437; p-value = 0.001). No significant differences were encountered in anti-asthmatic drugs and DMFT/dmft. Conclusion:There is a high prevalence of dental caries in both permanent and deciduous teeth in asthmatic children. Children given beta 2 agonists, inhaler form of antiasthmatic medication are at a higher risk of developing caries in their teeth. Physicians and dentists should recommend preventive measures against caries for children with asthma.

Experimental studies on the pH levels that affect demineralization and remineralization of human tooth enamel

“…5,32 This means that some people may experience demineralization even in the normal range of salivary pH. This study clarifies that the variation in the incidence and severity of tooth decay from person to person could be dependent mainly on the chemical composition of saliva which protects against dental caries and erosion, and these effects are the result of saliva's being saturated with respect to tooth minerals such as calcium or phosphate ions, 33 as well as total protein, urea, bicarbonate, and phosphate, which play a role in salivary buffering capacity, [34][35][36] so different saliva samples show different responses. In these experiments, when teeth are exposed to saliva samples, cross points are generated as a result of a relationship between the change in pH and the saturation of saliva with respect to tooth minerals.…”

Does bronchial asthma influences dental health of the diseased children?

“…The average dmft/DMFT values were higher in primary and/or permanent dentition in asthmatic children in several studies [2,6,[17][18][19][20]. Those values were reported to be higher in children that used inhaler form of drugs [18], especially salbutamol inhalers (bronchodilator) [19].…”

“…The average dmft/DMFT values were higher in primary and/or permanent dentition in asthmatic children in several studies [2,6,[17][18][19][20]. Those values were reported to be higher in children that used inhaler form of drugs [18], especially salbutamol inhalers (bronchodilator) [19]. In contrast to the above mentioned studies, there are other studies that do not demonstrate a positive relationship between asthma and dental caries [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”

Topology of Saliva

“…The salivary mucus is a dynamic hydrogel lining the luminal surfaces of oral cells. It displays a unique set of rheological properties including low solubility, high viscosity, elasticity, spinnbarkeit, stiffness, adhesiveness (Kumar et al, 2017). The rheological properties of saliva are critical to fulfill chewing, swallowing and vocalization (Marcinkowska-Gapińska et al, 2018; Rereddy et al, 2023), affecting lubrication and coating of oral surfaces, consistency of ingested foods and taste sensitivity (Schwarz 1987;Pushpass et al, 2019).…”