Pediatric Liquid Medications and Dental Caries: A Narrative Review
Mohammed Taib Fatih
Department of Dentistry, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Visualization, Methodology, Investigation, Software, Conceptualization
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mohammed Khalid Mahmood
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Correspondence: Mohammed Khalid Mahmood ([email protected])
Contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Methodology, Writing - review & editing, Formal analysis
Search for more papers by this authorHandren Ameer Kurda
College of Dentistry, Sulaymaniyah University, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Validation, Software, Investigation
Search for more papers by this authorHerve Tassery
Dental School of Medicine, Conservative and Endodontic Department, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
Marseille Hospital APHM, IHU-MEPHI Institute, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision
Search for more papers by this authorRomain Lan
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Methodology
Search for more papers by this authorDelphine Tardivo
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration
Search for more papers by this authorMohammed Aso Abdulghafor
College of Dentistry, Sulaymaniyah University, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Visualization, Data curation, Methodology, Investigation
Search for more papers by this authorMohammed Taib Fatih
Department of Dentistry, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Visualization, Methodology, Investigation, Software, Conceptualization
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mohammed Khalid Mahmood
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Correspondence: Mohammed Khalid Mahmood ([email protected])
Contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Methodology, Writing - review & editing, Formal analysis
Search for more papers by this authorHandren Ameer Kurda
College of Dentistry, Sulaymaniyah University, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Validation, Software, Investigation
Search for more papers by this authorHerve Tassery
Dental School of Medicine, Conservative and Endodontic Department, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
Marseille Hospital APHM, IHU-MEPHI Institute, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision
Search for more papers by this authorRomain Lan
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Methodology
Search for more papers by this authorDelphine Tardivo
Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences, Aix-Marseille University, French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), French Blood Establishment (EFS), Bio-Cultural Anthropology, Law, Ethics and Health, Marseille, France
Contribution: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration
Search for more papers by this authorMohammed Aso Abdulghafor
College of Dentistry, Sulaymaniyah University, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq
Contribution: Visualization, Data curation, Methodology, Investigation
Search for more papers by this authorABSTRACT
Background and Aims
Children with chronic conditions such as heart diseases, asthma, severe respiratory infections, epilepsy, organ failure, tumors, and recurring acute diseases such as sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis, or even iron and vitamin supplements are taking pediatric liquid medications (PLMs) for long durations. There is a growing concern and evidence in the literature about the harmful effects of PLMs on dentitions. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive update on PLM consumption as a risk factor for dental caries.
Methods
An electronic search was conducted across various databases such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus and Google Scholar using the relevant MeSH terms and keywords “liquid medication,” “pediatric liquid medication,” “chronically ill children,” “children,” “dental caries,” “dental erosion,” “sugar content of medications,” and “endogenous pH of medications”.
Results
A total of 33 studies were included in this narrative review. Some reports have linked the usage of PLMs in chronically ill children to dental erosion and caries. Physiochemical properties of PLM solutions, such as their sugar content and endogenous pH define their carcinogenicity and erosive potential. Indeed, several in vitro studies reported the erosive potential of PLMs on dental hard tissue structure when viewed under scanning electron microscopes. Some other studies have focused on the role of pediatricians, dentists, and families/parents.
Conclusion
Studies support a positive association and suggest a higher caries risk experience among chronically ill children that consume PLMs. A multidisciplinary collaboration is needed between pediatricians, dentists, manufacturers and families to maximize the benefits of PLMs and minimizing its possible harms on oral health.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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