Addressing Asthma
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 1st May 2020
Now that Winter has passed and Spring is in full swing, we can rejoice in the fact that cold and flu season is starting to peter out. This will be especially good news for asthma sufferers who are more susceptible to the effects of colds and tend to experience a worsening of their symptoms during periods of illness.
In the UK, a staggering 5.4 million people are currently being treated for the condition,[i] meaning more people have received an asthma diagnosis than all other lung diseases combined.[ii] That’s not even taking into consideration those who have not yet received an official diagnosis – and indeed, the condition is still under-diagnosed and under-treated despite significant advancements.[iii]
Asthma is caused when the body’s airways come into contact with triggers such as allergens, chemical irritants, smoke and air pollution, and can also be set off by cold air, physical exercise, some anti-inflammatory medications and even emotions. For the most part, asthma can be controlled with inhalers and other courses of treatment like steroid tablets, but approximately 200,000 people are thought to suffer from a severe form of asthma that doesn’t respond to usual therapies.i For those unlucky few, asthma can lead to extremely poor health, periods of hospitalisation and even in rare cases, death. Fortunately, however, most asthmatics biggest complaints are wheezing, breathlessness, a tight chest and coughing.
What sufferers likely don’t realise is that asthma can also have an impact on oral health. Indeed, there is research that suggests asthma medication can increase the risk of dental caries, erosion, and oral candidiasis.[iv] Asthmatics are also almost one fifth (18.8%) more likely to suffer from periodontitis,[v] making them, in turn, more susceptible to tooth loss.
That’s why it is essential that you take extra care to establish patients’ medical histories and provide the necessary oral hygiene advice that will help to minimise these risks. Plus, oral health probably doesn’t spring to patients’ minds when they consider the impact asthma can have on their wellbeing, so it’s up to you to educate them on what can happen if they use inhalers and other medication.
Naturally, this is an on-going year-round task, but with World Asthma Day coming up (May 5th) why not seize the opportunity to go the extra mile? You might not be able to take away symptoms or make them less at risk during the Winter months, but with your help asthmatics can be equipped with the right knowledge and tools they need to protect their oral health, giving them one less thing to worry about.
So, what are you waiting for? Address asthma in your practice today!
For more information about the BSDHT, please visit www.bsdht.org.uk
call 01788 575050 or email enquiries@bsdht.org.uk
[i] Asthma UK. Asthma facts and statistics. Accessed online 18 December 2019 at https://www.asthma.org.uk/about/media/facts-and-statistics/
[ii] British Lung Foundation. (2019) Asthma statistics. Accessed online 18 December 2019 at https://statistics.blf.org.uk/asthma.
[iii] World Health Organisation. (2017) Asthma: Key facts. Accessed online 18 December 2019 at https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma
[iv] Thomas MS, Parolia A, Kundabala M, Vikram M. Asthma and oral health: a review. Aust Dent J. 2010 Jun;55(2):128-33. Accessed online 18 December 2019 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20604752
[v] Oral Health Foundation. Asthma found to increase the likelihood of gum disease by a fifth. Published 20th September 2017. Accessed online 18 December 2019 at https://www.dentalhealth.org/news/asthma-found-to-increase-the-likelihood-of-gum-disease-by-a-fifth
