Early Exposure to Antibiotics May Lead to Early Childhood Caries

In an article published in the the CDA Journal in August 2010 it states that an increased risk of early childhood caries has been found in children taking systemic antibiotics in their first year of life.  In a study, published in Oral Health, authors Sumer M. Alaki, DDS, Brian A. Burt, PhD, MPH, and Susan L. Garetz, MD, MS, said that after the child's first year, those who took systemic antibiotics at age 13 to 18 months demonstrated a considrable increase in the risk of early childhood caries compared to their counterparts who did not take the medication.

One explanation is that children on this medication are not as healthy as children not on antibiotics.  Additionally, some medications have a high surgar content, the authors said.  Adding another possibility for the increased risk is these antibiotics may cause environmental and ecological changes in the mouth from consistent exposure to sugar contained in the medications, thus paving the way for the colonization of mutans streptococci (the bacteria that causes tooth decay.)

Although highly preventable, dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease.  The American Dental Association suggests the first dental visit by age one and that all dentists are encouraged to:

• accept and perform infant dental visits by age one, to assess risk in infants and to teach dental disease preventive techniques to the infant caregivers.
• educate and teach expectant mothers that dental health is an important part of prenatal care and that dental disease can affect the health of the mother and her infant.