Title:  Dental caries in children with asthma undergoing treatment with short-acting ß2-agonists

Abstract:  Aim This study sought to evaluate possible higher risk for dental caries among asthmatic children undergoing treatment with short-acting ß2-agonists. Methods Dental clinical assessments, saliva analysis and a questionnaire survey were carried out on 60 children aged 6-12, of whom 30 were asthmatic subjects undergoing treatment with short-acting ß2-agonists and 30 were used as controls. The obtained data for DMFT/dmft scores, Silness-Löe plaque index, buffer capacity and bacteria counts for Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus in the saliva, oral hygiene and dietary habits were compared using Student t-test and Pearson chi-square test. Results We registered a higher DMFT score among asthmatics of 1.2±1.8 (SD) and 0.3 ± 0.8 among non-asthmatic patients (p<0.05), while comparison of dmft scores between the examined groups showed not significant (Student t-test). Saliva analysis revealed lower buffer capacity in 43.3% of the asthmatic children, followed by higher cariogenic bacteria counts in their saliva (p<0.05 Student t-test). These results show the lower plaque index in the asthmatic group (1.6 ± 0.4) compared with the control (2.1 ± 0.3). Asthmatic children expressed better oral-health habits with more frequent tooth-brushing and usage of fluorides. Conclusion The results from our study suggest a higher caries-susceptibility among asthmatic children undergoing treatment with short-acting ß2-agonists, but a clear association between these drugs, salivary changes and dental caries among children, still remains to be demonstrated.