title: Influence of anti-asthmatic medications on dental caries in children in Slovenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE.  The study investigated the influence of exposure to anti-asthmatic medications and of various factors on the caries prevalence in children in Slovenia. METHODS.  The study population consisted of children aged 2 to 17 years (n = 220) under treatment for asthma, who had used anti-asthmatic medications for at least 1 year; 220 controls were matched for age. Caries status was determined by the number of decayed, missing, and filled surfaces through clinical examination by two calibrated dentists using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System-II scoring criteria. Questionnaires completed by parents and data from the patients' medical records provided information on various confounding factors. RESULTS.  Asthmatic children had significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) prevalence of caries on primary and permanent teeth in all age groups, and the proportion of caries-free children was significantly smaller (P ≤ 0.05). In multivariate regression analysis, asthma diagnosis, child's age, daily use of inhaled glucocorticoids, length and frequency of medicine application, spacer use, mouth rinsing with water after medicine application, parents' education, frequent food and drink consumption, and frequency of toothbrushing were associated with caries experience of asthmatic children. CONCLUSION.  Children with asthma who had used anti-asthmatic medications had higher caries experience in primary and permanent teeth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology and Endodontics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. tomi.samec@mf.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Tomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Samec
authors.forename: Bennett Tochukwu
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Amaechi
authors.forename: Tadej
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Battelino
authors.forename: Uroš
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Krivec
authors.forename: Janja
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jan
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009067:Mouthwashes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009067:Mouthwashes