Whether bronchial asthma influences dental health of the diseased children?
Background / Aim. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disorder. The effect of asthma drugs on oral health is still the subject of debate among researchers in dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate dental status in asthmatic children and evaluate the possible effect of drugs treating asthma on dental health. Methods. Participants were divided into two groups: the asthma (AG) and the non-asthma (NAG) group. Based on symptoms of the asthma and possibility for effective control of the disease, the asthma group was divided into two subgroups. The oral examination of the teeth was performed by the use of probe and mouth mirror under artificial light in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations. Saliva analysis was carried out by GC Saliva-Check Buffer. Results. The present study included 136 children aged from 6 to 16 years. The mean dmft/DMFT (decayed, missing, filled, teeth) of children in the AG group (6.0?4.0/3.3?4.4) was higher than in the NAG group (4.8?4.4/2.5?3.4), but significant differences were not observed between the groups. Salivary pH values were found to be similar in both groups, but a stimulated salivary flow rate was found to be significantly lower in the AG group (p<0.01). Conclusion. Although the prevalence of dental caries in the AG group was similar to the NAG group in this study, decreased stimulated salivary flow rate in the AG group may contribute to higher values of dental caries in asthmatic children in future.