Video on Asthma and Dry Mouth
Tooth decay and asthma are two of the most common health problems that plaque children, adolescents, and many young adults. Asthma stands to affect 20 million Americans, 6.3 million of which are children. There has been research detailing a possible link between these two seemingly different health issues. The a dental hygienist and researcher out of Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg looked at patients of varying age ranges, consisting of 3, 6, 12 to 16 and 18 to 24 year olds. Her results demonstrated that 3-year olds with asthma were more prone to cavities than 3-year olds without respiratory issues. When looking at patients in older age ranges, the children and young adults with asthma developed more cavities and even more gum disease than their asthma-free counterparts. Within the asthma group, only 1 out of 20 patients was caries-free, while 13 out of 20 patients were caries free in the asthma-free group.
A possible theory that has been posed of this correlation hints at asthma medications being the culprit to the increase in cavities. Because these inhaler formulas are often comprise of powders, they live a dry residue that sticks to teeth. These medications may inhibit the production of saliva, which would lead to an individual getting more cavities. Not only do these medications limit saliva secretion, these drugs, including inhalers, syrups, and even sugar-coated steroids, are taken throughout the day, leaving users’ teeth exposed to a lot of sugar. Children with asthma also have more of a tendency to breathe through their mouth. This would then lead to the case of dry mouth, which would have also contributed to the higher cavities prevalence.
Patients should be in communications with dentists about the medication they use and their oral hygiene habits. It is important for dentists to know enough to effectively help keep cavities at bay. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact Drs. Ali & Ali and the caring team at Wellesley Dental Group; they will be happy to answer your questions! Contact us today at 781-237-9071 or smile@wellesleydentalgroup.com
References:
http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/ADA/2011/article/ADA-08-Youngsters-with-asthma-have-higher-risk-of-cavities.cvsp
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-05-30/features/0405300364_1_inhalers-asthma-drugs-decay
http://madisonkidsdentist.com/ for pic credit
Tags: Wellesley Dental Group, Dental, Boston, children, dentist, dentistry, Dr. Abdallah, Dr. Ali, Dr. Emad, Dr. Femina Ali, Drs. Ali and Ali, Ejaz Ali, Femina Ali, gum disease, health, healthy, kids, metro-west, Needham, oral health, patients, pediatric, tips, toothbrushing, tooth decay, cavities, caries, Wellesley, Wellesley dentist, Wellesley Hills, Teeth Whitening, smile, Invisalign, Orthodontics, Braces, White fillings, Periodontal disease, sugar, toothpaste, milk, dental health, whitening, Dental office, mother, bad breath, halitosis, toothbrush, brushing, Dr. Nooruddin Pradhan, pediatric dentist, Isis Maternity, sensitivity, teeth, dry mouth, floss, aging, Mothers Forum, AAPD, tooth, pediatrics, Dr. Ejaz Ali, enamel, Patch, Dr. Pradhan, pediatric dentistry, decay, silver fillings, gums, RDH, gingivitis, nightguard, food, pregnancy, wellesley dental, bleeding gums, tooth loss, tooth enamel, crooked teeth, straight teeth, tmj, child, wellesley mother's forum, giving back, jaw pain, jaw sensitivity, mouth guard, night guard, pain, wellsley, diabetes, mouthwash, metrowest, nooruddin pradhan, plaque, custom home whitening, home whitening wellesley, whitening wellesley, grinding, gum sensitivity, sensitive toothpaste, teeth sensitivity, root canals, implants, extraction, orthodontic treatment, pediatric dentist wellesley, periodontitis, wellesley news, kid cavities, kids dentist wellesley, more child cavities, pediatric cavities, pediatric dentist dedham, pediatric dentist dover, pediatric dentist natick, pediatric dentist needham, pediatric dentist newton, pediatric dentist sherborn, pediatric dentist wayland, pediatric dentist weston, pediatric oral care, rise in child cavities, teeth enamel, teething baby, tooth eruption, maximize benefits, maximize dental benefits, orthodontia, periodontal treatment, preventative care, preventative dental care, tooth restoration, Wellesley Health Department, media, Wellesley Dentists, Wellesley Newcomers, Sinsational, 01760, 02481, 02482, 100th anniversary, 2013, 2013 planning, 6 months care, Academy of General Dentistry, Academy of Periodontology, AGD, andrea, andrea geoffrey, andrea geoffrey-white, back, balanced diet, before and after, before and after Invisalign, best hygienist, Board of Health, brush, bruxism, calculus, Cardiovascular disease, cdha, celery, cereal, chewing, childhood caries, colgate, dairy, damaging teeth, dental caries, dental hygienist, dental prevention, dental visit, Deval Patrick, early childhood, early childhood caries, early tooth decay, educate, education, emergency, European Federation of Periodontology, expecting baby, expecting moms, fruits, fundraising, gentle hygienist, gestational diabetes, gift certificate, green foods, hayfever, health department, ice, ice chewing, illinois, jennifer holt, Learning disabilities, leyla masoudi, library, Lip sucking, Listerine, Low birthweight, makeover, maternity, mom, mothers of twins group, moutguard, mouth breathing, new england, nursing, Nursing bottle syndrome, old age, perio, posture, pre-diabetes, Pre-Mature Babies, preterm babies, profession, Protrusion of teeth, Public Health Report, R.D.H., rdh.com, respiratory disease, scope, seasonal allergies, sesame seeds, Speech development, spine, Sugary foods, Thumb sucking, tongue, tongue brushing, tongue hygiene, Tongue thrusting, Tooth misalignments, toothbrushing mistakes, town of wellesley, understand, vegetables, veggies, Wellesley Historical Society, whiten, Child-friendly flossers, Child’s oral health, Electric Toothbrush, First cavity, Fun tips to brushing, Parenting, Pea-sized toothpaste, Self-timer, Sugar intake, Asthma, Health problems, Inhalers, Respiratory problems, Saliva inhibition, Syrups, Young adults
Posted on October 4th, 2013
Posted in Blogs
