The role of medication and sugars in pediatric dental patients.

It is now widely accepted that sugar-containing medicines are a cause of dental caries in chronically sick children. The increase of prescribed medicine intake and of self-medication in developed countries exposes a growing number of children to medication caries, which can be considered a public health problem. Health workers should first of all be informed. The second step consists of involving each country's institutional structures in charge of public health to ensure that they modify the legislation on medicine manufacture and sale, following the exemplary action of Great Britain. The third step is to pressurize manufacturers so that they decide to produce all liquid pediatric medicine in sugared and nonsugared forms. This step can be accomplished only if prescribers preferentially prescribe sugar free medicines and promote sugar free medicines to their patients.