Use of Medicines by Infants with Microcephaly Caused by Congenital Zika Virus Infection and Implications to Oral Health

Alessandro Leite  Cavalcanti; Taynná Dantas  de Arruda; Liege Helena Freitas  Fernandes; Jeime Iara Bezerra de Freitas  Leal; Yeska Paola Costa  Aguiar; Sergio D'Avila Lins Bezerra Cavalcanti; Alidianne Fábia Cabral  Cavalcanti

Authors

Alessandro Leite Cavalcanti
Taynná Dantas de Arruda
Liege Helena Freitas Fernandes
Jeime Iara Bezerra de Freitas Leal
Yeska Paola Costa Aguiar
Sergio D'Avila Lins Bezerra Cavalcanti
Alidianne Fábia Cabral Cavalcanti

Keywords:

Microcephaly, Child, Prescription Drugs, Oral Health

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the use of continued-use medications by Brazilian children with microcephaly caused by Congenital Zika Virus Infection. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study with 76 children of both genders. Information on age, use of continued-use medications, number and type of drugs used was collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Continued-use medications were used by 89.4% of the children, anticonvulsants / antiepileptics (88.1%), and those indicated for behavioral disorders (27.1%) were the most frequent. Sodium saccharin, sucrose, and sorbitol are the most common sugars in the composition of these drugs. Conclusion: The use of medicines is high, predominantly anticonvulsants and antiepileptics, which contain sugars in their composition. These drugs can lead to irreversible dental problems, such as tooth decay if proper oral hygiene is not present. Therefore, parents/guardians should be advised about adopting healthy oral hygiene habits after the administration of these drugs.

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