Dental caries and sugar-containing liquid medicines for children in New Zealand.

Children who are taking long-term sugar-containing liquid medicines have an increased risk of developing dental caries. A recent survey of paediatric liquid medicines in New Zealand revealed that over half of the prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for children contain sugar. Only one-third of the sugar-free medicines were labelled as such, and only one-quarter were stated to be sugar-free in the New Ethicals Catalogue. Recommendations for limiting caries in these children include: where possible, taking the medicine in tablet form; brushing with toothpaste or chewing sugar-free gum after taking the medicine; home and dental-office fluoride applications; where possible, taking medicines at meal-times rather than between meals; avoiding ingestion of the medicine before bed; and seeking regular preventive dental care. Awareness of the danger posed by these medications should be promoted among prescribers, pharmacists, manufacturers, regulatory authorities, and the public in order to bring about increased availability and use of sugar-free liquid medicines.