The effect of asthma medications on ion concentration in carious and non-carious primary molar teeth

Aim: Asthma is one of the most common childhood diseases.Evidence shows a positive correlation between the use of asthma medications and dental caries.Material and Methods: The participants included in the study were categorized into four groups: healthy children with carious teeth (CH), children on asthma medication with carious teeth (CAM), healthy children with non-carious teeth (NCH), and children on asthma medication with non-carious teeth (NCAM).The element analysis of the extracted teeth was performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Results: The Mn levels of the CAM group were found to be statistically significantly higher than that of the NCAM group (p < 0.001).The CAM was found to have significantly higher levels of Cu than CH (p = 0.002).It was determined that the S levels of CH and CAM groups were statistically significantly higher than the NCH and NCAM groups, respectively.(p = 0.003, p < 0.01, p = 0.004, and p < 0.01, respectively ).The levels of Sr, Al, and Zr were also detected to be statistically significantly higher in the NCAM than in NCH (p = 0.002, p = 0.007, and p = 0.009, respectively).Discussion: Regardless of whether there is tooth decay or not, higher levels of Sr, Zr, Cu, and Al elements were found in the teeth of children using asthma medications compared to the teeth of healthy children.The results obtained regarding the relationship between dental caries and Pb, Mn, Cu, Sr, Li, and S levels were similar to those reported by other studies in the literature.The results of our study regarding the correlation of Mo and Al with dental caries are different from those reported in some previous studies.