Researchers studied 180 children to understand how asthma affects their teeth and gums. They compared children with asthma to their healthy siblings and other healthy kids. The study found that children with asthma had more cavities and gum problems than healthy children, regardless of how severe their asthma was. Interestingly, whether a child had mild, moderate, or severe asthma didn’t change how much their teeth were affected. The researchers think asthma impacts oral health both directly through the disease itself and indirectly through asthma medications. The good news is that paying attention to certain changeable factors might help improve dental health in children with asthma.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether children with asthma have more tooth decay and gum disease compared to children without asthma, and whether the severity of asthma makes a difference.
  • Who participated: 180 children divided into three equal groups: 60 children with diagnosed asthma, 60 healthy children with no asthma, and 60 healthy children who were siblings of the asthmatic children (to account for shared family factors like diet and lifestyle).
  • Key finding: Children with asthma had significantly more cavities and unhealthy gums than both healthy control groups. However, whether the asthma was mild, moderate, or severe didn’t change how much dental damage occurred.
  • What it means for you: If your child has asthma, they may need extra attention to their oral health through regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups. Talk to your child’s doctor and dentist about how asthma and asthma medications might affect their teeth, as there may be preventable factors you can control.

The Research Details

This was a cross-sectional study, which means researchers looked at all the children at one point in time rather than following them over months or years. They carefully divided the 180 children into three groups to make fair comparisons. The first group had children with confirmed asthma diagnoses. The second group was healthy children with no asthma. The third group was particularly clever—they used healthy siblings of asthmatic children, which helped control for family factors like what they eat and their economic situation.

The researchers used two standard dental tools to measure oral health. They used the DMF index (which stands for Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth) to count cavities and tooth problems. They also used the Gingival Index to measure gum health by looking at inflammation and bleeding. These are well-established methods that dentists use worldwide.

For the children with asthma, researchers further divided them into three subgroups based on asthma severity using international guidelines: mild asthma (25 children), moderate asthma (23 children), and severe asthma (12 children). This allowed them to see if worse asthma meant worse teeth.

This research design is important because it helps isolate asthma’s effect on teeth. By comparing asthmatic children to healthy siblings, researchers could rule out family factors like genetics, diet, and socioeconomic status that might affect teeth. This makes the findings more reliable. The study also looked at asthma severity, which helps doctors understand whether the problem gets worse as asthma gets worse.

The study has several strengths: it used standardized dental measurement tools recognized worldwide, it included a well-matched control group (healthy siblings), and it had a reasonable sample size of 180 children. However, as a cross-sectional study, it shows relationships at one point in time but cannot prove that asthma directly causes tooth problems. The study was conducted in one region of Saudi Arabia, so results may not apply equally to all populations worldwide. The researchers did not appear to measure medication use in detail, which could be important since asthma medications may affect teeth.

What the Results Show

The main finding was striking: children with asthma had significantly more cavities and gum disease than both healthy comparison groups. This difference was large enough that it was very unlikely to happen by chance. The asthmatic children showed more decayed teeth, more missing teeth, and more filled teeth compared to healthy children.

Gum health also differed significantly. Children with asthma showed more signs of gum inflammation and disease. This suggests that asthma affects not just the teeth themselves but also the tissues that support them.

Surprisingly, when researchers looked at whether asthma severity mattered, they found no significant differences. Children with mild asthma had similar dental problems to children with moderate or severe asthma. This was unexpected because researchers often find that more severe diseases cause more problems. However, each asthma severity group still had significantly worse teeth and gums than the healthy control groups.

The study confirmed that using healthy siblings as a control group was valuable. The siblings had better oral health than the asthmatic children but similar lifestyles and genetics, proving that asthma itself—not family factors—was the main difference. This finding strengthens confidence in the results. The researchers noted that both direct effects of asthma (like changes in immune function and mouth dryness) and indirect effects (like asthma medications) likely contribute to dental problems.

This research adds to growing evidence that asthma and oral health are connected. Previous studies have suggested links between asthma and tooth problems, but this study is valuable because it carefully compared asthmatic children to healthy siblings, which is a stronger research design. The findings support the idea that asthma is a risk factor for dental disease in children, though researchers continue to study exactly how and why this happens.

This study has several important limitations. First, it only looked at children at one moment in time, so we cannot say for certain that asthma causes tooth problems—only that they occur together. Second, the study was done in one region of Saudi Arabia, so results might be different in other countries or populations. Third, the researchers did not measure how well children brushed their teeth, how often they visited the dentist, or what specific asthma medications they took—all factors that could affect results. Fourth, the study did not measure how long children had asthma or how well-controlled their asthma was. Finally, the group with severe asthma was quite small (only 12 children), which makes it harder to draw firm conclusions about severe asthma specifically.

The Bottom Line

Parents of children with asthma should prioritize dental care with moderate-to-high confidence based on this evidence. Recommendations include: (1) Ensure children brush teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, (2) Floss daily, (3) Visit the dentist every 6 months instead of annually, (4) Discuss asthma medications with both the doctor and dentist, as some may affect oral health, (5) Limit sugary snacks and drinks, which increase cavity risk, and (6) Consider using a mouth rinse if recommended by the dentist. These steps may help reduce the extra dental risk that comes with asthma.

This research is most relevant to parents of children with asthma, pediatricians who treat asthmatic children, and pediatric dentists. Children with asthma should receive this information and extra dental attention. Interestingly, the severity of asthma didn’t matter for dental health, so even children with mild asthma should receive extra dental care. This research is less directly applicable to adults with asthma, though similar principles may apply. Healthy children without asthma do not need to change their dental routines based on this study.

Improvements in oral health take time. If a child with asthma starts a better dental routine today, they may see reduced gum inflammation within 2-4 weeks. However, preventing new cavities and reversing existing dental damage takes longer—typically several months to a year of consistent good habits. Some benefits from working with a dentist on asthma-related oral health issues may appear within 3-6 months.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily tooth brushing (morning and evening) and flossing, with a specific goal of 100% compliance. Also track dental visit dates and any feedback from the dentist about gum health or cavity development. For children on asthma medications, note which medications are used and discuss with the dentist if any are known to affect oral health.
  • Set up a daily reminder system for morning and evening tooth brushing. Create a visual reward chart for children who complete their dental routine. Schedule dental appointments every 6 months and set app reminders 2 weeks before each appointment. If the child uses an asthma inhaler, create a routine to rinse the mouth with water after each use, as this may help reduce medication effects on teeth.
  • Use the app to track brushing consistency over months, aiming for at least 90% compliance. Monitor appointment attendance and dentist notes about cavity or gum disease changes. If possible, photograph teeth periodically (with parental consent) to visually track changes. Set quarterly reviews to assess whether dental health is improving, staying stable, or worsening, and adjust strategies accordingly.

This research suggests an association between asthma and dental problems in children, but it does not prove that asthma directly causes tooth decay or gum disease. Individual results vary greatly. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical or dental advice. Parents should consult with their child’s pediatrician and dentist to develop a personalized oral health plan that accounts for their child’s specific asthma severity, medications, and individual risk factors. If your child has asthma and dental problems, work with both healthcare providers to determine the best course of action.