title: Dental Erosion and Dentin Hypersensitivity among Adult Asthmatics and Non-asthmatics Hospital-based: A Preliminary Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the airways leading to spasm and swelling of the airways. The medications taken for the treatment of asthma can result in dental erosion and dentin hypersensitivity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to investigate the severity of dental erosion amongst adult asthmatics according to: gender, type and duration of medication taken and to compare dental erosion and dentin hypersensitivity between asthmatics and non-asthmatics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative, cross-sectional hospital based study among 40 asthmatics (M=15 & F=25) and 40 non-asthmatics (M=18 & F=22) in the age range of 18-60 year selected purposefully from Al-Shaab Teaching Hospital in Khartoum city. The Basic Erosive Wear Index was used for dental erosion assessment. Dentine hypersensitivity was determined by giving ice cold water and rated using the Visual Analogue Scale. Chi-square and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis with P value ≤.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an association between severity of dental erosion and presence of asthma (P=0.03), where asthmatics had a higher degree of erosion (moderate and severe) and non-asthmatics a lower degree. No significant association was found between dental erosion and gender, type and duration of medication among asthmatics group. A statistically significant difference was revealed in the degree of dentin hypersensitivity (P=0.00) among asthmatics (35.13%) and non-asthmatics (14.13%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthmatic patients had a higher degree of dental erosion and dentin hypersensitivity compared to non-asthmatics. Among asthmatic patients there was no association between severity of dental erosion and gender, type and duration medication was taken for.
authors.affiliation: Conservative Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Academy Dental Hospital, University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sudan.
authors.forename: Zahra Hassan Abdelaziz
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Farag
authors.affiliation: Conservative Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Academy Dental Hospital, University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sudan.
authors.forename: Elhadi Mohieldin
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Awooda
keywords: Asthma; BEWE; Dental erosion; Dentin hypersensitivity