Use of asthma-drugs and risk of dental caries among 5 to 7 year old Danish children: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the risk of dental caries in 5-7 year old Danish children who received prescriptions for asthma-drugs.

DESIGN

Population-based cohort-study based on data from a prescription registry and dental database. Setting The County of North Jutland, Denmark.

PARTICIPANTS

4,920 children born in 1993, and followed to the end of 2000. Main outcome measures Dental caries in primary canines and molars, and permanent teeth.

RESULTS

Between the age 3 and 5 years 30.4% of the children received one or more prescriptions for asthma-drugs compared to 18.8% between 5 and 7 years of age. Children often received two or more drugs in combination. Approximately 6% of the children received both inhaled cortico-steroids and inhaled beta2-agonists between 3 and 7 years of age. No increased risk of caries could be shown in the primary teeth, while the relative risk of caries in the permanent teeth was estimated at 1.45 (95% C.I.: 0.99-2.11) in children who received prescriptions of both inhaled beta2-agonists and corticosteroids between 5 and 7 years. Of the 169 children who received prescriptions of both inhaled beta2-agonists and cortico-steroids between the ages of 3 and 7 years, the relative risk was estimated at 1.62 (95% C.I.: 1.03-2.56).

CONCLUSIONS

Asthma-drugs may increase the risk of caries in newly erupted permanent molars.