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Oral health in preschool children with asthma

Malin Stensson1, Lill-Kari Wendt, Göran Koch

  • 1Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, Jönköping, Sweden. malin.stensson@lj.se

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry
|May 21, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children with asthma show higher rates of tooth decay (caries) compared to healthy children. Key factors contributing to this include increased sugary drink consumption and mouth breathing.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition in children.
  • Oral health is crucial for overall child development and well-being.
  • Limited research exists on oral health disparities in young asthmatic children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of dental caries and gingivitis in 3- and 6-year-old children with asthma.
  • To identify oral health determinants in asthmatic children compared to healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 127 asthmatic children and 117 healthy controls aged 3 and 6 years.
  • Clinical examination for caries (decayed, missing, filled teeth - dfs) and gingivitis.
  • Parental interviews on oral health-related behaviors and factors.

Main Results:

  • Asthmatic 3-year-olds exhibited significantly higher caries prevalence (mean dfs 1.4 vs 0.5) and gingival bleeding than controls.
  • Asthmatic children reported higher sugar-sweetened beverage intake and were more likely to be mouth breathers.
  • A higher caries prevalence was observed in 3-year-old asthmatic children with an immigrant background.

Conclusions:

  • Preschool children with asthma have a greater risk of developing caries.
  • Dietary factors (sugary drinks), mouth breathing, and immigrant background are significant predictors of caries in asthmatic children.
Abstract

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