Potential for dental caries in asthma patients with inhaler therapy

Introduction: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease associated with airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation. Some drug treatments in asthma sufferers have a stronger effect on oral health than the disease itself, including causing dental caries. Objective: To determine the potential for caries in asthmatic patients with inhaler therapy. 

Methods: Systematic literature database search using PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. Literature data search used the following keywords: “Inhaled Therapy”, “Inhalation Therapy”, “Caries”, “Dental Caries”, “Asthma Medications”, “Asthma”, “Asthma Drug”, “Oral Health”, “Treatment of Asthma”. The search was conducted from March 2023 to April 2023 with the inclusion criteria being a clinical trial and a randomized controlled trial, using inhaler therapy as one of the interventions, a population of people with asthma who experienced dental caries, and published in English from 2013 to April 2023. 

Results and Discussion: The initial search identified a total of 275 articles from 2013 to 2023 across the two databases. After manual review of titles and abstracts and appropriate articles for inclusion, 9 relevant articles were identified in the systematic review. From the literature study conducted, it was shown that the treatment of asthma with inhaler therapy showed the potential for caries to occur with the mechanism of decreasing salivary flow and decreasing the buffering ability of the oral cavity resulting in the proliferation of Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacillus as aciduric bacteria which play a role in the demineralization of tooth enamel. 

Conclusion: Prolonged use of inhalation therapy in asthmatic patients has the potential to cause caries. This condition is supported by the awareness of asthma patients about poor oral hygiene.