Dentists sour about amount of sugar in drugs
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(Figure) The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) has rung the alarm bell about the amount of sweetener used in both prescription and over-the-counter drugs in Canada. "The sugar content of the formulations is from 20% to 80%, and patients at particular risk include those with special needs and infants on long-term medications who have not yet established proper oral hygiene," a motion approved recently by the CDA board states. "The presence in the mouth of sweet syrupy medications can contribute to high rates of dental caries, such as those seen in early childhood caries."

![Figure1](http://www.cmaj.ca/https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/161/7/789.2/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.cmaj.ca/content/161/7/789.2/F1)

Figure. 

The CDA says doctors should prescribe drugs that use sugar substitutes whenever possible and that drug labels should indicate sugar content to help in the search for alternatives. "High-sugar-content medications such as oral elixirs, suspensions and chewable medications should include warnings," the CDA added. It also wants drug companies to replace sugar with sugar substitutes.