This prospective study examined a population of 520 urban and rural children aged 5 to 9 years. Every 2−4 weeks, the clinical symptoms accompanying primary tooth replacement such as a cough, a runny nose, pain, and body temperature were assessed in each child’s medical records. The authors were able to show in a statistically significant manner that the frequency, time, and type of cough were strongly related to the type of erupting teeth (p < 0.001 for each relationship). A cough dependent on the type of erupting teeth was observed in 86% to 92% of the examined children, with a morning bronchial cough being connected with an eruption of the lower teeth, and an eruption of the upper teeth producing an all-day pharyngeal cough caused by mucus secretions dripping down the back of the throat. A statistically significant relationship was also confirmed between the type of erupting teeth and the incidence of a runny nose (p < 0.001), the frequency of a runny nose (p < 0.001), and the time when runny nose symptoms occurred (p < 0.001). This study shows that the period when primary dentition is replaced with permanent teeth in children is characterized by a physiological cough and a runny nose.
Keywords: cough; pain; primary tooth replacement; runny nose; teeth eruption.