Oral health in children with asthma

Dejan Markovic, Tamara Peric, Aleksandar Sovtic, Predrag Minic, Vanja Petrovic

It has been suggested that asthmatic patients may have a higher risk for oral diseases, both as a result of the medical condition and effects of medications. The aim of the study was to determine the oral health status of children with asthma and to evaluate the oral health parameters according to the medications and severity of the disease. The study group consisted of 158 children with asthma and 100 healthy control subjects aged 2-18 years. The diagnosis of dental caries was performed using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT/dmft) criteria. The oral hygiene, periodontal status and gingival health were assessed with the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (Greene-Vermillion), Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs and Gingival Index (Löe-Silness), respectively. Thirty (19%) patients with asthma and 43 (43%) healthy children were caries-free (p<0.001). There were no significant differences between asthmatic and control children in caries experience (for children with asthma mean DMFT=2.1±1.8, mean dmft=4.2±3.3; for healthy children mean DMFT=2.5±0.9, mean dmft=5.2±1.3). Level of asthma control did not have influence on dental health, while dose of inhaled corticosteroid had impact on primary dentition. Periodontal status and gingival health did not differ between asthmatic and control children. However, children with asthma had poorer oral hygiene (p<0.001). Results of the study do not show a relationship between asthma and oral diseases. However, further improvement could be made in educating children and parents on the importance of good oral hygiene and prevention of oral diseases.