Comparison of the oral health status and salivary flow rate of asthmatic patients with those of nonasthmatic adults – results of a pilot study

The oral health status and stimulated salivary flow rate of 33 adult asthmatic outpatients were compared with those of 33 nonasthmatic controls. The groups were matched by age and sex, and an adjustment for education was made in the statistical analysis. In the oral examination, a small difference in the prevalence of caries was observed when the sums of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMPT) were compared. The mean (SD) crude DMFT score was 20.1 (.5.8) in the asthma group and 18.4 (7.6) in the control group. A statistically significant difference was seen in the amount of periodontal inflammation and in the stimulated salivary flow rate between the groups. The mean (SD) crude periodontal status index (PSI) was 52.7% (23.8%) in the asthmatics and 37.1% (20.4%) in the controls. TTie 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the difference in adjusted means of PSI ranged from 0.1% to 21.9% (P=0.05). In the stimulated salivary flow rate, crude mean values were 1.0 (0.5) ml/min and 1.3 (0.5) ml/min. respectively, and the 95% CI for the difference was from 0.05 ml/min to 0.57 ml/min (P=0.01). Mucosal lesions in the oral cavity were found in 15 asthmatics (45%) and in eight controls (24%). In conclusion, the results of this study support the hypothesis that adult asthmatics have a higher risk of oral diseases than nonasthmatic subjects.