Asthma medication and risk of dental diseases in children – A prospective cohort study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundDental caries and enamel defects are the main causes of poor dental health in children, with a substantial impact on their well‐being. Use of inhaled asthma medication is a suspected risk factor, but there is a lack of prospective studies investigating this and other prenatal and early life risk factors.MethodsCopenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 mother–child cohort (COPSAC2010) consists of 700 women who were recruited at 24 weeks of pregnancy. 588 of their children participated in a dental examination at 6 years of age (84%) at the COPSAC2010 research unit. Caries was defined as decayed, missing, or filled surfaces. Enamel defect was defined as demarcated opacity, post‐eruptive enamel breakdown, and/or atypical restoration on at least one molar. Caries and enamel defects were assessed in both deciduous and permanent dentitions.ResultsWe found no associations between inhaled corticosteroids or β2‐agonists or asthma symptoms in early childhood and the risk of caries or enamel defects by 6 years of age. Furthermore, we found no strong pre‐, peri‐, or postnatal risk factors for dental diseases at 6 years, except from nominally significant associations between antibiotic use in pregnancy (OR = 1.25, [1.01–1.54]), maternal education level (OR = 1.57, [1.01–2.45]), having a dog at home (OR = 0.50, [0.27–0.93]), and risk of enamel defects.ConclusionsUse of inhaled corticosteroids, β2‐agonists, or asthma symptoms in the first 6 years of life were not associated with the development of caries or enamel defects. This finding is reassuring for parents and physicians prescribing asthma medication for young children.