Untersuchungen zur Zahngesundheit bei Kindern mit Asthma bronchiale

Summary

The evaluation included 89 asthmatic patients aged 3 to 20 years. They were subjected to a baseline examination (E1) and a follow-up examination (E2) after 18 months for caries (dft, DMFT) and tooth wear (erosion, abrasion/attrition). In addition the type and duration of anti-asthmatic treatment as well as dietary habits and oral hygiene were recorded. Caries data from healthy volunteers of the same age group were used for comparison.

No significant differences were established for caries between asthmatic patients and their controls at either the E1 or E2 examinations. Erosions were registered in 2 patients at E1 and 5 patients at E2 as well as in 4 healthy controls. At E2 abrasion/attrition, limited to enamel and affecting at least one permanent tooth, were demonstrable in 58.4% of patients and 52.2% of healthy volunteers. Additional dentin exposure was found in 5.6% of patients and 9.0% of healthy controls. In both participating groups abrasion/attrition was found to affect deciduous teeth more frequently than permanent teeth. Neither stratification for child prevalence nor for tooth prevalence revealed any significant differences between patients and controls in the prevalence of tooth wear.

Evaluations showed that in asthmatic children and adolescents caries and tooth wear are more caused by dietary and toothbrushing habits than by anti-asthmatic medication.