A study from the University of São Paulo in Brazil suggests that children who regularly take anti-inflammatory medications may be at risk for dental enamel defects (DEDs), which are currently present in 20% of children worldwide.
The effects of celecoxib and indomethacin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first step on the analgesic ladder along with paracetamol, were examined by the authors of the study, who are associated with the Ribeiro Preto Dental School (FORP-USP) and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP-USP).
Recent years have seen a substantial increase in the number of children seeking treatment for pain, white or yellow tooth spots, dental sensitivity, and fragility, according to dentists at FORP-Dental USP's Enamel Clinic, who study and deal with these issues on a daily basis. Simple chewing may occasionally cause children's teeth to chip off or fracture. All of them are typical signs of enamel hypomineralization-related DEDs, whose etiology is not yet fully understood.
These patients' restorations are less adhesive and more prone to failure as a result of this condition which also makes the teeth more prone to caries. According to studies, they can require replacement of restorations ten times more frequently in their lifetime than individuals with healthy teeth.
The patients' ages were a coincidence that intrigued the researchers' interest the most. Illness is frequent throughout the early years of life when DEDs occur and is frequently accompanied by a high temperature.
According to Francisco de Paula-Silva, professor in the pediatric department at FORP-USP and the article's final author, "These diseases are typically treated with NSAIDs, which inhibit the activity of cyclooxygenase and reduce the production of prostaglandin . However, COX and prostaglandin are known to be physiological for dental enamel, and we, therefore, wondered whether these drugs interfered in the normal formation of this structure."
Rats were chosen as the experimental animal because of their continuously growing incisors, which makes analysis easier. After 28 days of celecoxib and indomethacin therapy, there were almost no alterations in the rats' teeth that could be seen with the naked eye. However, the researchers discovered that the teeth cracked more easily when they started removing them.
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