How Asthma Affects Oral Health

Asthma and therapy for asthma can have effects on the oral health of patients.

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory tract. It can be caused by different things, but is usually from airborne particles such as pollen and dust. When someone with asthma starts to feel the effects, or has an asthma attack, they can suffer a variety of effects. Those effects include:

• Narrowing/inflammation of the respiratory tracts.
• Coughing and wheezing.
• Shortness of breath.
• Higher blood pressure.
• Faster breathing.
• Tightening of the chest.
• Increased mucus production.

There are more symptoms, and many more causes, you can read about them here.

In extreme cases, a person who suffers from asthma can die from an attack. For most, asthma is a minor or moderate nuisance. Typically, asthma affects things like physical activity and sleep. It’s hard to relax and fall asleep easily when breathing is a major difficulty. It’s also harder to do physically strenuous activities when one can’t breathe deeply. Asthma has recently been discovered to have big effects on dental health as well.

Asthma’s effects on oral health

One in 12 Americans has asthma, so the odds of this disease affecting your oral health, or that of your family, are higher than you may think. According to the research currently existing, there is a correlation between people who suffer from asthma and worse oral health. Typically, this is attributed to the use of drugs and treatments for asthma.

The problem is the drugs used to treat it

Many of the inhaled asthma treatments have systemic effects on the whole body. Many of these drugs can also have local effects in, on, and around the mouth.

Inhalers

Tiotropium and corticosteroids are common drugs inhaled for asthma treatment. They are put in small devices called inhalers, aerosolized, and inhaled into the respiratory system of an asthma patient. They help treat the lungs, airways, and bronchial tubes. However, these drugs have been associated with increased oral health risks.

• Higher risk of dental erosion. This is the enamel of the teeth wearing away. The enamel is the protective outer layer of tooth material, and is necessary to maintain healthy teeth.
• Higher risk of caries. Caries are tooth decay or cavities. They are essentially holes in the surfaces of the teeth made by bacteria. They can lead to pain, and require treatment such as a filling, crown, or even the tooth being removed.
• Higher risk of tooth loss. Thanks to dental erosion, cavities, and gum disease.
• Higher risk of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease essentially means gum disease. It is an infection of the gums’ soft tissue. A common periodontal disease is gingivitis. Without treatment it can destroy the bone that supports the teeth and even cause heart disease, respiratory disease, and arthritis.
• Higher risk of oral candidiasis. This is more commonly known as thrush. It is a fungus that infects the lining of your mouth. It is a normal fungus to have in the mouth, however, it can overgrow and cause problems. Furthermore, it can result in pain, loss of taste, lesions in the mouth, and more.
• Less saliva flow, or dry mouth. Salmeterolol and fluticasone propionate used together were among some inhaler type medicines that resulted in decreased saliva flow in asthma patients. Saliva is important for many reasons in maintaining oral health. It helps the mouth wash itself out, removing food debris where bacteria can develop and make cavities. Saliva also has beneficial bacteria for oral health. So a mouth that has healthy and plentiful saliva will be able to better maintain tooth, gum, and soft tissue health.

More in-depth reading on the effects of asthma on oral health, including case-studies, detailed results, and sample size information is all available. Take a look at this study from Clinical and Molecular Allergy section of Biomedcentral.com.

Why is it important?

You may be thinking, only 1 in 12 Americans has asthma. I don’t… so why should it matter to me? Asthma is not necessarily something that comes from genetic factors alone. Asthma develops in early childhood, and its number seem to be growing. More than 6 million children in the US are already diagnosed with bronchial asthma. Although it is unknown exactly what causes asthma, it usually develops in early childhood. Evidence has shown that it comes from viral infections or exposure to airborne allergens as a young child. Other factors, such as pollen, smoke, and more, when exposed to young children, can increase their risk of developing asthma later in life.

Air pollution and large scale infectious diseases seem to be more and more pervasive. This means that young people growing up are more at risk than in the past.

How to deal with asthma and keep up your oral health

Don’t forget the golden rules of happy teeth:

• Brush at least twice a day.
• Floss at least once a day.
• Drink plenty of water.

Make sure to drink water after you use your inhaler or take any medication. Also, water after meals is key is keeping the mouth as a whole clean. Also, ask your doctor if your inhaler contains sugar. Some contain it as a sweetener to make the medicine taste better. Get an inhaler without sugary medicine if possible.

If you have any questions, need treatment, or simply could use some advice, don’t hesitate to let us know. We are happy to assist you in bettering your oral health in any way that we can. Josey Lane Dentistry has been serving the Carrollton Texas area for 17 years. We want to help make your smile as bright as possible.