Asthma causes inflammation Essay

Submitted By monmalik
Words: 1016
Pages: 5

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases through the world and is a serious global health problem that affects people of all ages. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung condition that is characterized by recurrent breathing difficulties due to the airways to constrict and produce excess mucus. This condition is reversible, either spontaneously or can be controlled with treatment such as medication. Based on gingivitis disease process, we know that in order to have tissue response, such as gingival inflammation, there needs to be an irritant present to initiate the inflammatory process. The correlation between asthma and periodontal disease show that both cause pathological activation of the immune and inflammatory process thus showing signs of gingival inflammation. The following discussion will aim to build an argument that individuals with asthma show higher prevalence of poor gingival condition.
The study conducted by Stensson et al (2008) showed the correlation of oral health and asthma in newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed asthmatic children. Upon selected area and birth date, a control and study group were formed for the investigation. Examiners performed intraoral exams to record an evidence of caries and gingivitis. Fourteen percent of the younger study group who were recently diagnosed with asthma show higher dfs and gingivitis compared with the control of equal age; however, sixteen perfect of the older study group showed higher dfs but no significant difference in gingivitis compared with the study group of equal age. Although this study shows that with age there is less prevalence of gingivitis, there are many factors that cause discrimination in the study such as “intake of sugary drinks, mouth breathing and immigrant background”. The results indicate asthma children have higher caries prevalence and poor gingival condition before the frequent use of any oral corticosteroid and bronchodilators.
Bejerkeborn et al (1987) linked the difference of severity and the use of pharmacotherapy of asthma to poor oral health, such as dental caries and gingival condition. The children for the study were picked at random from a set age and city. The examiners performed two bitewing radiographs and clinical examinations of 61 asthmatic children and 55 healthy children. The asthmatic children were further divided into subgroups of the severity of asthma and duration of medication use and frequency. They were then paired to those of similar age and sex, also known as “social twin”. After thorough examination, the study showed that there are no statistically significant differences concerning caries prevalence and gingival conditions in asthmatic children compared to a healthy controlled group.
In another study McDerra et al (1998) investigated the prevalence of dental disease in British school children with asthma. The sample participants were “examined for dental caries, periodontal condition, and tooth surface loss”. The sample group compared to the healthy controlled group showed higher DMFT and DMFS ranges. The examiners proclaimed “significant build of plaque, gingivitis, and calculus compared with the controlled group”. The study proclaimed the high calculus and plaque is due to an increase in the levels of calcium and phosphorous in submaxillary and parotid saliva. The high prevalence of calculus tends to lead to increased gingival conditions, such as inflammation. It is safe to make a link between gingival conditions such as inflammation, based on contributing factors which accompany asthma not limited to medication. In summary, this study supports the hypothesis that asthmatic children show poor periodontal status such as gingivitis.
As dental hygiene student, I’ve come across a client (Michelle Tanner) who has a history of asthma since birth and shows signs of inflammation. The medical history indicates the client has been diagnosed with asthma at a very young age. Her asthma is currently