Amoxicillin and Enamel Malformation, an antibiotic that is widely prescribed for young children, may be associated with structural abnormalities in developing dental enamel. The precedent for this possibility is due to the fact that tetracyclines and some other antibiotics clearly influence the development of the tooth. As reported in the October 2005 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, grantees and colleagues of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Re-search assessed the possible association of amoxicillin and enamel malformation among 579 children in the Iowa Fluoride Study. They found that 75% of the children had received amoxicillin during their first year of life, and the number jumped to 91% by the age of 32 months. Overall, almost 25% of the children had fluorosis on both maxillary central incisors, and the researchers found that amoxicillin use from 3 to 6 months of age “significantly increased” the risk of fluorosis in these teeth. The scientists concluded that, “The findings suggest that amoxicillin use in infancy could carry some heretofore undocumented risk to the developing teeth.” They stressed, however, that their data are preliminary and further laboratory and clinical studies will be needed to confirm the results.
(Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Web site, accessed November 1, 2005)
