Astma og udvalgte aspekter af oral helse hos børn

sthma and selected aspects of oral health in children Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood. The etiology is not fully clarifi ed, but a central pathophysi- ologic feature is chronic infl ammation in the repiratory mu- cosa, resulting in bronchial hyperreactivity, varying degrees of airways obstruction, and increased mucuous production. The treatment of asthma has improved considerably during recent years and includes inhaled ß-2-agonists and stereoids. This article reviews the literature on dental caries, enamel hypomineralisations, dental erosions, and dental anxiety in children with asthma. Asthma does not seem to increase the risk of dental caries in neither the primary nor the per- manent dentition, but there might be a slightly increased risk during the period of tooth eruption. It is not clarifi ed whether asthma is associated with hypomineralisations. The literature does not give clear evidence that asthma increases the risk of erosions, but inhaled asthma medicine exists in forms with low pH, and these forms can be exchanged with other forms with higher pH in asthma patients with signs of dental erosions. Asthma may be associated with dental anxiety in children, probably due to unpleasant experiences in the health care system.