Children who have asthma have a higher rate of caries.
The cause apparently is a drug that many of them take to control
their disease. One of the drug's side effects appears to be that it
reduces the amount of saliva in the mouth.
When researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina noted that
the leading causes of school absenteeism in the United States were asthma
and dental caries, they decided to see if there was a connection.
Six hundred and fifty-five children between the ages of one and fifteen
were studied. Included were 125 youngsters who had been previosuly
diagnosed with asthma. The study results noted that asthmatic children
had a higher level of decayed, missing and filled teeth, both in their
primary and permanent dentition (teeth).
The researchers found that to control their ailment, most of the asthmatic
children were taking albuterol, a medication which depletes salivary flow.
The connection was identified!