Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2015 Volume 143, Issue 9-10, Pages: 539-544
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH1510539M
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Oral health in children with asthma
Marković Dejan (Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Belgrade)
Perić Tamara (Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Belgrade)
Sovtić Aleksandar (Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia “Dr Vukan Čupić”, Belgrade + School of Medicine, Belgrade)
Minić Predrag (Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia “Dr Vukan Čupić”, Belgrade + School of Medicine, Belgrade)
Petrović Vanja (Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Belgrade)
Introduction. 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. Objective. 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. Methods.
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.
Results. 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). Conclusion. 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.
Keywords: asthma, oral health, children